Content: Diversity and Inclusion

Type: Speech

Length: 1 Hour

Level: For all GLAMR staff

Organisers: VALA

Presenters: Cecily Walker

Format: A one hour presentation

Reflection

Objectives: The objective of this talk was for the keynote speaker, Cecily Walker, to give an Australian audience a talk about diversity in the workplace of library and information professionals. Offering an American-born, Canada-residing insight into a lack of diversity in these spaces, Cecily spoke to the importance of making waves in order to have better representation of under-represented peoples in professional spaces.

Reasons for attending: The reasons for attending this talk was primarily due to being able to attend for free as a student of CSU, it seemed a valuable opportunity and so I took it, and it turned out to be a great opportunity to learn about something I had not considered before in the profession.

Relation to studies and learning outcomes: This relates to my professional work and studies in that it is something that isn’t actually talked about in class. There is a lot of focus on information professionals being champions of fairness and social justice, but to actually see a professional speak about their experiences where these social ideals actually weren’t being applied in the information profession workplace offered a practical look at how a professional can enact these social justices in a very real sense.

Future Uses: This talk is going to help me in the future in that I will endeavour not only to practice principles of diversity and inclusion amongst patrons and communities, but also amongst staff and peers; ensuring that any under-represented peoples in the workplace have as fair a treatment and opportunity as anyone else.

Evidence: Registration Email Screenshot

A screenshot of registration.