Strategize Comments on Digital Equity for State Planners

Join CARLI colleagues in thinking together about how to communicate the role (and potential) of academic libraries to further digital equity during the Illinois statewide listening tour (underway with in person and virtual dates through late May). State planners are engaging community partners – including libraries – as they develop plans to promote digital equity, support digital inclusion activities, and build capacity for broadband adoption residents. There is unprecedented digital equity funding coming for community organizations to provide broadband/devices, build information/digital literacy skills, and support workforce development. Showcase your good work and influence state planners. Drop in anytime during this open office hour with Michelle Frisque (broadband advisor to ALA) and Kara Malenfant (senior staff member at ACRL).

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About the Presenters

Michelle Frisque is a technology leader known for visionary thinking, innovation, digital equity and executing transformative organizational change with a human touch. She is nationally respected in academic and public libraries. She speaks and teaches internationally on public library issues. Michelle previously served as the Chief of Technology, Content and Innovation at Chicago Public Library and as the Head of Information Systems at the Galter Health Sciences Library, Northwestern University. Michelle has a masters of learning and organization change from Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy and a masters of library and information sciences from the University of Pittsburgh.

Kara Malenfant is Senior Strategist for Special Initiatives at ACRL where she coordinates government relations advocacy, scholarly communication activities, and ACRL’s Value of Academic Libraries initiative. She also provides consulting services on organization change and occasionally has time for research. Prior to coming to ACRL in 2005, Kara was an academic librarian, worked in humanitarian aid and served as a Peace Corps volunteer. She earned a Ph.D. in leadership and change from Antioch University and a M.S. in library and information science from the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign.