Prairie View A&M University hosted Dr. Denice Adkins during National Library Week, April 9-15. Dr. Adkins is an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Information Science & Learning Technologies and joins us as part of the International Federation of Library Associates Fellowship and Mentoring program (IFLA). IFLA serves as the leading international body that represents the interests of library and information services and their users.
Adkins sat on a panel along with a PVAMU Elizabeth Brumfield, distance services librarian, Phyllis Earles, university archivist, Chieko Sato Hutchinson, reference and instruction librarian, Raquel Williams, reference and instruction librarian. During the panel she shared information on library instruction and provide advice to students who have interest in pursuing a career in the library and information science and learning technologies field. Dr. Adkins will also visit the Northwest Houston center, as well as meet the faculty, staff and students of PVAMU.
Selected by IFLA as a mentor and library leader, Dr. Adkins comes with a vast amount of international experience. She’s was a Fullbright Scholar to Honduras, taught a new master’s degree program at the Universidad Pedagogica Nacional Francisco Morzan, led study abroad trips across the globe and has presented internationally on information literacy, public libraries and library service to Latino and underrepresented populations. Dr. Adkins also serves as president of REFORMA; a national association to promote library and information services to latinos and the Spanish speaking.
When selected to be a part of the IFLA Fellowship and Mentoring program, Dr. Adkins began a partnership with Elizabeth Brumfield, distance services librarian. As part of their project, both individuals travel to each other’s respective institutions, work with their curriculum development group, sit in on faculty meetings and get best practices for library and information literacy. “Our project is to increase the representation of minorities in the field,” said Brumfield. She states that at the moment there are less than five percent African-American and less than five percent Hispanic in the field. “There is not one HBCU that offers a Library and Information Science program,” said Brumfield, “This is one of the reasons why the minority representation isn’t that great in the field.” In August, both Adkins and Brumfield will travel to Wroclaw, Poland to present their work at IFLA’s 83rd World Library and Information Congress (WLIC).