SLO 4 - User needs for underserved communities

While this SLO is worded as "design services to meet the information needs of all users and communities" we were told to focus on how we designed programs/services for a specific user group, especially an underserved user group.

Powerpoint slide from my "Libraries and Autism Spectrum Disorders" presentation. 

In my LIS 600 Foundations class, I researched how libraries serve their patrons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). I had planned to create, distribute, and analyze a survey as part of my action research, but I was unfortunately unable to do that. As the focus of this project was the process of how I approached the project, as opposed to the final product, my teacher thought I did a very good job. It is something I am interested in pursuing later on in my career - how libraries interact with their ASD patrons. I presented a poster on the research and also spoke to an LIS class the next semester. I focused on how a library could look into better serving an underserved population, in this case, those with ASD. One of my points was "Acceptance vs. Awareness" as everyone is aware of those with ASDs, but not necessarily accepting of them or their Autistic quirks.

Since 2013, I have volunteered off and on with the YMCA Literacy Initiative. There, I have helped with conversation classes, helped make doctors' appointments, taught important phrases, and helped fill out forms. I also helped several recent immigrants sign up for library cards. This population is chronically underserved, and for many reasons, including language barriers, transportation issues, and potential illiteracy in their native language.