Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: DEI Grants

Leisure Reading Collection funded for $1,500

• The goal of the project was to curate a collection of digital leisure reading that focused on DEI-related topics. The funding allowed for the purchase of about 25 eBooks and audiobooks.

• Funds were used to purchase the eBooks. Promotion of the materials was done by Strategic Communication via social media.

• This was a student-centered project.

• More information on this project can be found in this article.

• To access the resources, visit Axis 360.

Asian LGBT Movie Nights during Pride Month funded for $1,500

• Students were given an opportunity to vote for Asian LGBT Movies and then the movies were streamed each Friday night during the month of June. The goal was to bring awareness to the Asian LGBT community. 

• Funds were used to purchase streaming rights to the films and promotion was facilitated by Strategic Communications.

• This was a student-centered project

DEI Professional Development Series funded for $1,500

• Libraries Staff were invited to participate in three workshops designed to provide education on DEI-related topics, supporting staff in becoming more culturally conscious. 

• Funds were used to pay honorariums to our external speakers.

• This was a staff-centered project.

Digitization of Mississippi Freedom Summer Audio Collection funded for $1,230

• The goal of this project was to move audio tapes to a digital format that would improve access to the materials on this tape to be more accessible to the general public. 

• The funds were used to pay AccessMU to start transcription and Graphic Audio to move materials from reel to reel tapes to a digital format.

• The full Freedom Summer AV Collection can be found here.

• This was a collections-centered project

Libraries are for Everyone Art Project funded for $850

• The goal of this project was to make students aware of how they belong at the Libraries. Students were invited to submit proposed artworks. Four were selected to create their artwork as a temporary piece on the dry erase boards outside of King Cafe. These four students were compensated for their work. New students were encouraged to view the pieces and see how everyone is represented.

• The funds were used to pay students for their artwork and buy supplies to create the work.

• This was a student-centered project.

Professional Development on Open Education funded for $1,500

• The goal of this project was to bring in a well-known speaker in the field of open education to help faculty and staff learn how they can make education more accessible, affordable, and equitable for all.

• The funds were used to pay a stipend and travel expenses for the guest speaker.

• This is a faculty-centered project.

Mississippi Freedom Summer Project funded for $1,021

• The goal of this project was to provide transcription to digitized audio in order to make it more accessible.

• The funds for this project were used to pay AccessMU for the transcription.

• The full Freedom Summer AV Collection can be found here.

• This is a collections-centered project

UNIDOS Games Night funded for $1,167

• The goal of this project was to bring increased awareness to Latin American board games by focusing on games designed specifically by underrepresented populations.

• The funds were used to buy new games with a Latin American theme or games that were developed by people of Latin American descent.

• This was a student-centered project

Training for Freedom Workshop funded for $1,500

• Special Collections hosted Ringo Jones, who served as the Executive Technical Director and sound Technician on the documentary Training for Freedom. The goal of this project was to highlight issues of social justice

• The funds were used to pay an honorarium to Ringo Jones.

• Ringo Jones gave a follow-up presentation titled, "The Arts on Social Change," which can be viewed through this link.

• This was a community-centered project.

Myaamia Recordings Digitization funded for $920

• The goal of this project was to digitize audio and video recordings of Myaamia performances and oral histories to make them more accessible to our community for the 50th anniversary of Myaamia Center.

• The funds were used to pay AccessMU to transcribe the recordings.

• This is a collections-centered project.

DEI Library Lecture and Discussion Series 2022-23 funded for $1,200

• Libraries Staff were invited to participate in three workshops designed to provide education on DEI-related topics, supporting staff in becoming more culturally conscious. 

• This training was a follow-up from the previously successful DEI Professional Development Series

• Funds were used to pay honorariums to our external speakers.

• This was a staff-centered project.

(Re)building Memorial: A Holocaust VR Project at Miami University funded for $1,200

• This project serves to bring Memorial: A Holocaust VR Project to full functionality.

• In 1948, Holocaust survivors, Robert Diamant and John Macsai, designed an award-winning national Holocaust memorial in Budapest that would never be constructed. The original designs were lost and today their memorial only exists in fragmentary testimonies and drawings made from memory. Memorial reconstructs Diamant and Macsai’s original design as part of an interactive experience centered on their Holocaust testimonies.

• Funds were used to pay a VR designer to repair a software glitch.

• This was a collections-centered project.

MakeHERspace: Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories funded for $1,150

• This project serves to enhance the yearly MakeHERspace event, which has grown each year

• In addition to the educational elements, the event also provides a space for people of all genders to come together, form community, and de-stress through the process of making. Events like MakeHERspace are important to setting an inclusive, supportive tone for the Makerspace and the Library as a whole.

• Funds were used to pay for advertising, supplies, and refreshments.

• This was a community-centered project.

The Three Assassinations of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. funded for $500

• This project serves to provide a speaker for Black History Month.

• Dr. Frederick Douglass Dixon, Director, Black World Studies Department, University of Wyoming, Assistant Professor, African American and Diaspora Studies Department, will speak on the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Funds were used to pay an honorarium to an external speaker.

• This was a community-centered project.

BIPOC Artist Posters: An Exhibition at Wertz Art and Architecture Library funded for $1,444

• This project serves to purchase a collection of eleven posters reproducing BIPOC artworks to be displayed on the gallery-hanging system in Wertz Art and Architecture Library.

• Artists included are: Bisa Butler, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Thornton Dial, Julie Mehretu, Horace Pippen, Alma Thomas, Faith Ringgold, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Nellie Mae Rowe, and Glenn Ligon. These artists were chosen to represent a mix of Harlem Renaissance, contemporary, and folk/outsider artists, both male and female.

• Funds were used to pay for the prints and frames.

• This was a facilities-centered project.

Rural Health Resources Workshop funded for $575

• This project serves to host a workshop on how to find valid health information on rural populations.

• This workshop will support students in a variety of health-related programs and the clinicians who work with students in these programs.

• Funds were used to pay for advertising the workshop and providing refreshments to participants.

• This was a student- and community-centered project.

Lived Experiences: Race at Miami University Video Captioning funded for $500

• This project provided video captioning for some of the resources on the Lived Experiences: Race at Miami University website.

• This was a community-centered project.

Jumpstart Inclusive Cataloging Class funded for $1,000

• This project allowed eight staff members the opportunity to participate in an online class about implementing inclusive cataloging.

• Participation in this course supported staff in gaining formal training around inclusive cataloging, expanding the work the department has done to date.

• This was a staff-centered project.

Snacks for Success: Streamlining Support for Student Food Insecurity funded for $500

• This project supported the launch of a new initiative to provide healthy food options to students in the Libraries.

• Healthy, shelf-stable, individually packaged snacks will be available for students participating in Librarian-led instruction classes and workshops within King Library during Fall 2023.

• This project aims to meet the basic needs of students and reduce food insecurity around campus, as a step toward eliminating barriers to learning and engagement.

• This was a student-centered project.

Accessible Check-Out Stations for King Library funded for $1,500

• This project serves to purchase accessible self check-out stations for King Library

• Purchased check-out stations will be added to the first and/or second floors for student use.

• This was a student-centered project.

To summarize:

• $20,508 Awarded
• 20 DEI Grants
• Promoting DEI to Faculty, Students, Library Staff, Collections Building, and the Miami University/Oxford Community