November 04, 2024

In This Issue:

• WRLC Fall Forum: Generation Z and the Changing Landscape of News Media Consumption
• Retirement Announcement
• WRLC's Membership in the Library Accessibility Alliance
• WRLC Job Listings

Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 1:00 PM

Mark your calendars for this year’s WRLC Fall Forum: Generation Z and the Changing Landscape of News Media Consumption by Kevin Click, Lecturer from the Psychology Department at California State University, Chico. This year’s forum, scheduled for Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 1:00 PM, will focus on how Generation Z - comprising undergraduate students and other emerging adults - approaches news and public information differently from previous generations.

As Generation Z pursues both higher education and civic engagement, it brings a distinct shift in media consumption habits, particularly the increased reliance on social media platforms for news. Unlike older adults, who often turn to traditional news sources, Gen-Z’s preference for digital and social channels creates new dynamics in how information is shared, perceived, and understood. This evolving landscape, coupled with rapid technological advancements, introduces unique challenges to maintaining the integrity and accuracy of available information.

The forum will explore these trends and offer strategies for fostering thoughtful consumption of news in an age of rapid information spread and misinformation.

About the Speaker

We're both delighted and a touch sad to announce that Katherine Kilduff, Sr. Software Engineer at the WRLC central office, is retiring effective November 12.

Kathy has been a key part of the WRLC information technology team since she started as a Programmer/Analyst 23½ years ago. She was instrumental in developing and maintaining the Consortium Loan Service (CLS) system that provided so much added value to the Voyager ILS for the consortium.

With the transition from Voyager to the Alma platform, Kathy applied her experience with consortial resource sharing and knowledge of computer systems to lead the configuration of one of the first – if not the first – Alma automated fulfillment networks in production, ensuring that many of the important functions she had implemented in CLS were available in the new system. She has also been supporting a remote storage application that is key to the new Alma SCF institution zone architecture that we implemented with Ex Libris.

Many in the WRLC community know how helpful Kathy has been working through Alma fulfillment issues, developing pull slips and other notices from the system, and resolving hundreds of tickets in our Service Desk system. We all also appreciate the courteous and friendly attitude she has with her colleagues.

Thank you, Kathy, for your incredible contributions to the WRLC. We will certainly miss you, and know you will enjoy your time traveling, gardening, and just relaxing by the pool during your retirement.

Current members include:

• Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA)

• Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL)

• Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA)

• Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC)

• Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation (IPLC)

• Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC)

• University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI)

Together, these groups form a network that strives to make library resources accessible for all users.

Vision, Mission, and Values

The LAA’s vision is to shift library culture and practices toward equality for people with disabilities. With a mission centered on collective empowerment and knowledge-sharing, the LAA’s core values include accountability, cross-disability solidarity, accessible-first design, and a commitment to fostering genuine belonging beyond basic compliance.

The LAA pursues its mission through various key activities, including:

• Independent Accessibility Evaluations: To assess e-resource accessibility, the LAA contracts with third-party accessibility consulting companies. These evaluations are based on WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines and follow a time-limited, high-level review format. While not exhaustive, these assessments identify key accessibility barriers and provide vendors with guidance on improvement. Full reports are published on the LAA’s E-resources testing page, alongside a summary and rating of compliance.

  
  

• Vendor Response: All evaluations are provided to vendors at no charge, and the LAA encourages vendors to submit responses to be included with the completed reports, promoting transparency and accountability in accessibility efforts.

Available Resources

• Training Opportunities: LAA members collaborate to develop open, freely available webinars on accessibility topics relevant to academic libraries. Information on past and upcoming webinars can be found on the LAA’s events page. We encourage you to participate!

  
  

• Toolkits: The Library Accessibility Toolkit is a living document containing resources and tools to support libraries in their accessibility initiatives.

  
  

• Licensing Language: Developed by the BTAA, this model language provides libraries with a framework to address accessibility issues in vendor contracts.

Through these initiatives, the Library Accessibility Alliance is advancing library accessibility by working toward a future where libraries not only meet compliance standards but foster a culture of belonging and inclusion. Visit the LAA’s website for contact information and more on their ongoing work to provide resources that support accessibility in your library.

• Library Assistant - Howard University

• Cataloger - Howard University

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