Commencing Work on a LGBTQ+ Research Guide and Grant Opportunity Shortlist: 2/2 9am-5pm

Today was a relatively slow day in the library, wherein I mostly worked on my projects. For most of the day, I explored Pivot, which is a funding opportunities database. One of my projects for my practicum is to locate potentials grants for a scholarship project regarding water rights. Today I ran a number of tailored searches to find opportunities that would fit the project. Surprisingly, I was able to locate fewer opportunities than expected - mostly due to the fact that many, many posts were fellowship opportunities. All the same, I was able to locate some which I feel make viable candidates. This is an interesting introduction to the kind of reference research requests that feel unexpected but are apparently common for librarians in academic settings.

Today I also began, in earnest, planning and collecting materials for a research guide on LGBTQ+ related law. This started with a review of standard Dee J. Kelly Law Library research guide organization. I then looked at research guides on this topic from other institutions. From this research, I have outlined a general idea of a potential format for the guide. I also began to collect resources that absolutely should be featured therein. One of the most practical and useful things I learned today was how to use Zotero, an open-source research tool. Kristen Rowlette introduced me to the tool, which easily allows one to compile and organize the resources I hand selected.

Photo Description: This is a photo of the whiteboard in my loaned office. I like using whiteboards to draft ideas. Here, I used the board to jot down ideas for different pages for the research guide I am creating on LGBTQ+ law. This will probably change over time as I dive deeper into the project.

Total Hours: 8

Name: Madeleine Ball

Site Supervisor: Lisa Goodman