Last updated: February 4, 2020.
North Idaho College’s Molstead Library serves a diverse community with a broad range of experiences and needs. As Circulation/ILL Manager, I aim to ensure that all of our displays are inclusive and representative of this population, and society at large. By focusing on social justice, wellness, and representation, the hope is to demonstrate library values and create spaces that are welcoming to all students, faculty, staff, and community members. Here is a selection of 2019 displays:
Black History Month – February 2020
In recognition of Black History Month, NIC housed a display that not only celebrated Black history, but also those creating history today, and the actions we can all take to celebrate Black excellence outside of February.
This display was created in collaboration with the newly created Kootenai County NAACP chapter here in Coeur d’Alene. James McDay, president of the chapter, and founder of the TOC Diversity Resource, collaborated with me on this display by writing about his community involvements and highlighting local efforts.
Below are two galleries: one of the posters used in the display and the other of the actual display.
Wellness – December 2019/January 2020
During December and January, NIC housed a Wellness display that focused on the ways in which students can be more holistic individuals by investing in hobbies, self-care, and mindfulness. The timing of this display was at the end of finals and the beginning of the following semester; allowing students to see and consider things as they enter two of the most stressful points during college.
Native American Heritage Month – November 2019
During November we held a main display for Native American Heritage month that focused solely on works written by Indigenous authors. These were based on two themes: Own Voices and Own Legacies.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day & Modern Magic – October 2019
October holds Indigenous Peoples’ Day, formerly known as Columbus Day. Molstead Library is part of the NIC’s 9-Point Agreement between the college and the Coeur d’Alene tribe, and so, through collaboration with various stakeholders, I created a display that focused on Indigenous Peoples’ day and the ways to be an ally to the tribe outside of specific celebrations.
Along with our Indigenous Peoples’ Day display, we also had a display that focused on magic in modern society. This display highlighted the ways that magic interjects into pop culture and modern aesthetic (all. those. astrology. memes.) as well as the ways that ancient rituals inform these modern phenomena.
Freedom to Read – September 2019
September contains banned books week, I decided to take a different direction for our display this month. This change is a result of the nature of the materials, the imagery associated with banned books week, and the often disproportionately affected communities of challenged materials. Through this display, the aim is to inform the NIC community of the wider issues at play when materials are challenged or censorship occurs.
