By: Megan Mac Gregor
Nesbitt Library Penn State Wilkes-Barre

For the majority of the population, using a public restroom is a simple and mundane process. You locate, you enter, you use, you continue with your day.

But for 1.4 million adults this is not the case. Using a public restroom, at the very least, can be a heart pounding, slightly degrading but necessary choice. In the worst cases, 12% of the 1.4 million people who are transgender, gender variant, or just don’t look male or female enough, may experience verbal harassment, physical violence, or sexual assault. For this population, the fear of what might happen causes over half of them to choose not use public restrooms at all, which often leads to not eating or drinking while out in public.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s Nesbitt Library, as part of a university-wide initiative, chose to update its two gender-specific restrooms (women and men) to two gender-neutral restrooms. These are the first gender-neutral restrooms on the Wilkes-Barre campus, joined by the PSW-B Health Services Office’s single stall restroom, which is located in the Athletics and Recreation Building (ARB).

Megan MacGregor, acting head librarian of Nesbitt Library, felt it was very appropriate for the library to have gender-neutral restrooms. “Libraries have a long history of promoting equality and neutrality. We have always strived to provide access to information regardless of a person’s background, economic status, etc. so why not provide equal access to restrooms?” said MacGregor. The new gender-neutral restrooms provide a comfortable and safe option for all members of the Penn State Wilkes-Barre community.

In 2016, Penn State University Park campus re-designated 57 gender-specific, single stall restrooms to gender-neutral restrooms. Megan Mac Gregor and Jackie Warnick-Piatt, PSW-B Student Activities Coordinator, co-chairs of the campuses Gender and Sexuality Alliance, with the help of Wanda Ochei, Director of Student Services and Engagement, Sarah Luvender-Newman, Personal Counselor, and Gary Beisel, Director of Business Services, collaborated to upgrade the two bathrooms in the Nesbitt Library.

By: Carmen Gass

“Discovery Day provides an excellent way to connect with colleagues in the library – it’s a great platform for learning about the work that we all do, in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. At the 2018 Discovery Day, I had the opportunity to present,”Whats new with content strategy;” which became a really good (and productive ) conversation about our approach to web content  strategy, what’s next, and how to get assistance with web content needs. I truly valued the time people took to attend and participate, and it gave me the opportunity to learn about my
colleagues’ web content needs.” Karen Hackett, Web Content Strategist

By: Hailley Fargo

With our Short Edition program continuing to expand, we wanted to provide some updates to the Libraries. Some highlights include: • Launching our second writing contest with a “Lost &
Found” theme. We had 42 submissions and added 14 new stories to our dispensers.

• Continuing our collaboration with Schlow to open up our submissions to allow anyone with a Centre County zip code to contribute content to our website and dispensers

• Lending one of our dispensers to State College High, in order for them to test out the machine and run a writing contest of their own

• Deploying five new dispensers to campus locations including Abington, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, and Harrisburg. These dispensers will rotate on a semester and or yearly basis and we are seeking campuses with a desire to integrate Short Edition into the curriculum and co-curricular activities

• Expanding our Short Edition website to include a new Partnership page. We are continuing to explore and test out ways to integrate Short Edition with our curriculum. Many faculty members at multiple campuses have expressed interest in this (and some have already implemented Short Edition in their syllabi)

• Launching “The Other Side,” our third writing contest. Submissions are due April 12!

For library colleagues interested in learning more about the Short Edition program, please visit our page on the Libraries’ Intranet. For questions about the programmatic direction of this
project and the student-run Editorial Board, contact Hailley Fargo (hmf14), Student Engagement & Outreach Librarian. Questions about the dispensers across the Commonwealth can be directed to Matt Ciszek (mpc16), Head Librarian, John M. Lilley Library, Penn State Behrend.

By: Anne Behler

This week on the Library Instruction Reboot blog, Dawn Amsberry shares the progress the Distinctive Populations Team is making, as well as their emerging areas of focus. Thanks for following along!

Distinctive Populations Team Update

By: Shep Hyken (submitted by Carmen Gass)

“Smile and the world smiles with you.” That is part of a longer quote attributed to Stanley Gordon West. It became the topic of conversation while on a New York subway with my
daughter, Alex, when I noticed her smile at someone who, in turn, smiled back. I complimented her on the small but kind gesture, and it started a great conversation about life and customer
service.

Now, some of you may be thinking, “Big deal. It was just a smile.” But it is a big deal. Alex shared the story about where she learned about the power of a smile.