erinrwhite in Libraries | May 9, 2019

Trans-inclusive design at A List Apart

I am thrilled and terrified to say that I have an article on Trans-inclusive design out on A List Apart today.

I have read A List Apart for years and have always seen it as The Site for folks who make websites, so it is an honor to be published there.

Coming out as nonbinary at work

This week, after 10 years of working at VCU Libraries, I have been letting my colleagues know that I’m nonbinary. Response from my boss, my team, and my colleagues has been so positive, and has made this process so incredibly easy. I didn’t really have a template for a coming-out message, so ended up writing […]

2016 Errandonnee challenge: handled it

After being foiled by a long trip last year, I got the chance to attempt the Errandonnee challenge again this year (I attempted it in 2014, too). The challenge: complete 12 errands in 12 days and ride or run a total of 30 miles between March 4-15, 2016. Fun twist: I was in Philadelphia and bikeless […]

What it means to stay

Seven years ago last month I interviewed for my job at VCU. I started work a few months later, assuming I’d stick around for a couple of years then move on to my Next Academic Library Job. Instead I found myself signing closing papers on a house on my sixth work anniversary, having decided to […]

Back-to-school mobile snapshot

This week I took a look at mobile phone usage on the VCU Libraries website for the first couple weeks of class and compared that to similar time periods from the past couple years. 2015 Here’s some data from the first week of class through today. Note that mobile is 9.2% of web traffic. To round […]

Recruiting web workers for your library

In the past few years I’ve created a couple of part-time, then full-time, staff positions on the web team at VCU Libraries. We now have a web designer and a web developer who’ve both been with us for a while, but for a few years it was a revolving door of hires. So let’s just say I’ve hired lots […]

Easier access for databases and research guides at VCU Libraries

Today VCU Libraries launched a couple of new web tools that should make it easier for people to find or discover our library’s databases and research guides. This project’s goal was to help connect “hunters” to known databases and help “gatherers” explore new topic areas in databases and research guides1. Our web redesign task force […]

2014 in review

2014 was a big, brag-worthy year for me: Started writing again (about bikes, natch). Met my internet hero. Ran a 10k, then a half-marathon. Did some work and wrote about it (just on this blog, but a start). Gave new grads some advice. Created a code of conduct for the conference I help organize. Rode my bike all […]

Gifs-mas in New York

Why this librarian supports the Ada Initiative

This week the Ada Initiative is announcing a fundraising drive just for the library community. I’m pitching in, and I hope you will, too. The Ada Initiative’s mission is to increase the status and participation of women in open technology and culture. The organization holds AdaCamps, ally workshops for men, and impostor syndrome trainings; and […]