ALAO has 12 active special interest groups that have formed to discuss concerns, issues and new trends related to academic librarianship in Ohio. ALAO’s interest groups are in the season of events! Keep an eye on the ALAO events page for summer events. Joining an interest group is a great way to participate in leadership events and network with fellow librarians and library staff. Most groups are currently looking for co-chairs before the fall semester. For more information visit the ALAO website https://www.alaoweb.org/igs/index.html or contact Sara Klink, Interest Group Coordinator at sklink@starkstate.edu

–Sara Klink, Interest Group Coordinator, Stark State College

Special Collections and Archives Interest Group (SCAig) News

The annual workshop of the Special Collections and Archives Interest Group (SCAig), “DEI in Digitization” was held on May 17, 2022. Featured speakers included Sidney Gao (Digital Collections Manager at University of Cincinnati) and Nathan Tallman (Digital Preservation Librarian, Penn State University). Gao presented on principles and practice for accessible cultural heritage digitization through the adoption of the PDF/Universal Accessibility (PDF/UA) format, and Tallman discussed guidelines and criteria for digital appraisal, selection, and preservation. A special thank you is due to our speakers, as well as our Planning Committee members, Miriam Intrator (Special Collections Librarian at Ohio University) and Rachel Makarowski (Special Collections Librarian at Miami University).

–Henry Handley, Special Collections and Archives IG Co-Chair, University of Dayton
–Josh Zeller, Special Collections and Archives IG Co-Chair, Mount St. Joseph University

Sustainability Interest Group (SIG) News

The Sustainability Interest Group closed out the spring semester with an Earth Day event at the end of April. We heard a presentation from Ginny Boehme, Science Librarian at Miami University, who spoke about her work with faculty and students on a Miami Tree Walk project, as well as her experiences learning to assist with bird banding. The committee continues to seek a new co-chair for the upcoming 2022–2024 term beginning this summer. Please reach out to susig-chairs@alaoweb.org if you would like to nominate yourself. We look forward to planning sustainability programming for the coming year, particularly for the conference this fall.

–Kim Hoffman, Sustainability Interest Group Co-Chair, Miami University
–Bethany Spieth, Sustainability Interest Group Co-Chair, Ohio Northern University