The HBCU Library Alliance and CLIR’s Digital Library Federation (DLF) invite participation in the Authenticity Project, a fellowship program that provides mentoring, learning, and leadership opportunities for early- to mid-career library staff from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The organizations are seeking fellowship applicants as well as volunteer mentors, with both opportunities open until March 15, 2022. Fellows will be announced in early April, with mentor announcements following.
The Authenticity Project is generously supported by an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant and will be led by program facilitators Dr. Flavia Eldemire, Cotina Jones, and Reginald White in coordination with DLF senior program officer Jennifer Ferretti and HBCU Library Alliance executive director Sandra Phoenix.
Fellows will be matched with two experienced library professionals who will serve as mentors. Each mentorship team will include an individual with HBCU and library experience, and another currently working in the fellow’s area of interest from the DLF community. Fellows will receive full travel, lodging, and registration expenses to attend the annual DLF Forum and Learn@DLF workshops; access to online discussion spaces; and will participate in facilitated, online networking and discussion sessions.
Mentors will receive access to training on mentorship as well as a supportive community of peers, will support fellows’ learning through weekly discussions on specific topics, and will be granted stipends in acknowledgment of their time and commitment to the program.
The program, which supported its first cohort of participants in 2019, was on hiatus in 2020-21 due to the ongoing pandemic. This year the program has been reimagined with a shorter, more focused period of participation and will center virtual connection across organizations. The HBCU Library Alliance and DLF will host two summer cohorts, in June and July. All 30 fellows will attend the DLF Forum in Baltimore, Maryland, in October.
DLF senior program officer Jennifer Ferretti added, “I’m excited to help facilitate this important mentorship program that centers and supports both mentors and fellows in an environment of mutual learning and more broadly helps to create authentic connections that better the library and information science community.”
To learn more about the Authenticity Project and how to apply or volunteer, please visit the program’s website or email awards@diglib.org.
DLF is an international network of member institutions and a robust community of practice, advancing research, learning, social justice, and the public good through the creative design and wise application of digital library technologies. It is a program of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning.
The HBCU Library Alliance is a consortium that supports the collaboration of information professionals dedicated to providing an array of resources to strengthen Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their constituents. As the voice of advocacy for member institutions, the HBCU Library Alliance is uniquely designed to transform and strengthen its membership by developing library leaders, helping to curate, preserve and disseminate relevant digital collections, and engaging in strategic planning for the future.
This project is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, through grant # RE‐70‐18‐0121. The IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. They advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Their vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.
