Health Sciences Library Director Selected to Join SCELC Board of Directors
Darlene Parker Kelly , CDU Library Director , was selected as a member of the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium ( SCELC ) Board of Directors .
“ Becoming a part of the SCELC Board of Directors is important because it illustrates SCELC ’ s commitment to diversity , equity , and inclusion ,” said Parker Kelly . “ As a member of SCELC Board of Directors , I have a voice in the decision making and in helping larger libraries and the organization further understand the plight of smaller libraries and subsequently smaller universities .”
SCELC plays an integral part in enabling the CDU library to license competitive resources and provide the same resources that are typically available at larger libraries .
SCELC was established in 1986 and currently has over 110 member institutions and 230 affiliate institutions . The goal of a library consortium is to coordinate resources and , through collective action of member libraries , reduce the cost of licensing resources through group purchasing while also aiding in the professional development for libraries of varying sizes .
Preserving African American History
The CDU Health Sciences Library completed the first phase of the Special Collection of African American History project . CDU library staff held an event to discuss the importance of the collection – which includes over 1,000 books – and how students can benefit from it .
The CDU Library first began the preservation project with the Dr . M . Alfred Haynes Collection in 2018 , which consisted of over 100 books on African American History . The collection grew in 2021 when Dr . Sheba George , Associate Professor in CDU ’ s Department of Preventive and Social Medicine and Vice-President of the Academic Senate , contacted the library regarding donating books from her late father-in-law ’ s , Merle Howard Edwards , collection on African American History and Culture .
“ The preservation of African American History through special collections is a way to value and gain knowledge of the past and present ,” said Darlene Parker Kelly , CDU Library Director .
The second phase of this project will be the unveiling of the collection and a scholarship named in honor of Merle Howard Edwards .
2022 Annual Report Charles R . Drew University of Medicine and Science
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