Shaleesa Bynum, LSU Libraries’ Student Supervisor of Access Services, was recently awarded a travel grant to attend the Identity, Agency, and Culture in Academic Libraries Conference. The conference is aimed at understanding how issues of identity and agency contribute to access, inclusivity, and diversity in academic libraries. Grants were awarded to academic library faculty or staff members who demonstrate efforts to foster diversity at their institutions. The grant will be used to cover travel expenditures and accommodations. Bynum has been on staff for more than two years, and was also a student worker in the library as an undergraduate student. Currently, she serves as co-chair of the Diversity Committee for the Libraries.

This is the first time the conference is being hosted, and is expected to have more than 120 participants. IACAL will feature keynote speakers, presentations, and panel discussions on various topics. The conference is scheduled to take place May 22-23, 2017, and will be held at Doheny Memorial Library at the University of Southern California Libraries in Los Angeles, California.