Diversity Team Meeting

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

Attending Members: Tom Connors, Ken Tanaka, Heleni Pedersoli, Johnnie Love, Akemi Noda, Ambika Sankaran, Temitayo Gboluaje, Katalin Mouyal, Fahnbulleh ZarZar
Guest: Sue Baughman

Minutes:

• Sue discussed that two members of the Facilitators Team will show up for about an hour to the October 5 Diversity Team meeting which is part of the 15 chosen focus groups. The purpose is to find out if the groups are using their time effectively and efficiently. The Facilitators Team will send the questions ahead of time to the team to look at before meeting with the Facilitators. The Facilitators Team will compile a report which they will send to the Diversity Team and then a copy will also go to the C-Team.
• Team worked on the Draft of the Vision Statements that were created at the August 17 Meeting.

This is what the group came up with for the Diversity Team:
Vision Statement:

The Diversity Team leads the UM Libraries’ faculty, staff, and students in fostering a positive and collaborative environment that promotes excellence in quality of service to the University Community. This will be accomplished by:

• Promoting diversity initiatives
  
• Embracing constructive change in the Libraries, the University and beyond
  
• Providing diversity information resources
  
• Creating a climate where all are valued, respected and encouraged to reach their full potential through mentoring and showing the way
  Diversity Initiative
  

  The UM Libraries Diversity Initiative serves as the core element that creates, builds, and improves the diverse environment of the organization by:
  

  • promoting awareness, inclusiveness, and tolerance by keeping people informed
    
  • monitoring environmental changes
    
  • providing outreach and education
    
  • creating an awareness that diversity has the power to transform the individual, the group or team, and the organization
    
  • communicating the importance of valuing human life and the contributions that individuals make to the organization and to society
    Mission Statement
    

    The Libraries’ Diversity Team exists to implement the campus’ Diversity Initiative in the libraries on campus. It is essential to recognize, respect, and promote each individual’s uniqueness within the larger and more important context of our shared experience as human beings. The Team is dedicated to staff and patron education to increase diversity awareness and positive change in the library environment.
    

    We then had the ALA Action Plan handed out to look at other Mission and Vision statements as well as copies of our work plan
    
    Asian-American Resource Guide has been completed by Ken and Akemi and has some minor tweaking. If you have any suggestions, please email them and with some final revisions should be up on Research Port very soon.
    
    Professor Patricia Hill will be giving a lecture on Thursday, October 20th in the Special Events Room.
    
    The Provost Conversation Series Begins with Prof. Peter Irons on Friday, September 9, 2005 and then on Monday, September 26, 2005 with Chief Judge Joe Murphy on the Federally mandated “Constitution Day” both of these will be held during lunch time 11:30-1pm in the Nymburu Multicultural Center.
    
    Katalin will be the speaker at the next Brown Bag Lunch Series on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 from 12-1:30pm in the Special Events Room on the ALA Poster Presentation she did in Chicago concerning research with the Shady Grove Reserves holding
    
    Lastly, our social activity was planned for Friday, October 7 at Mulligan’s Grill (Golf Course) from 11:30-1pm.

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