Breaking Down the Doors: The Lived Experiences of Racialized Librarians

Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023
Time: 12:00-1:30pm
This is a virtual event.

Join an in-depth panel discussion featuring Cecilia Tellis (University of Ottawa), Alexandra Wong (York University), and Zahra Premji (University of Victoria). They will be discussing their experiences as racialized librarians in the academic library world.

Cecilia Tellis

An academic librarian with 18+ years of experience, Cecilia Tellis is the Head of Design and Outreach at the University of Ottawa Library where she leads efforts to ensure that services and spaces are grounded in user-centered design principles; coordinates efforts to communicate the impacts of the library on student, academic, and scholarly success; and identifies opportunities and develops solutions to ensure the library is inclusive and accessible. Cecilia has led small but mighty teams for over a dozen years and is a trusted mentor and colleague to many racialized library folks.

Alexandra Wong

Alexandra Wong (she/her) is a second generation Chinese-Canadian settler and an early-career librarian. She is currently the Data Visualization and Analytics Librarian at York University and is a graduate of the Master of Information Program at the University of Toronto, concentrating in Library and Information Sciences. She also holds a Bachelor of Mathematics and Bachelor of Business Administration double-degree from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, respectively. Having worked for several years in the technology sector as a data analyst, she is particularly interested in democratizing dataskills and supporting efforts to make technology inclusive and its usage critical. She is also interested in diversifying what and whom are represented in the public knowledge and linked open data sphere.

Zahra Premji

Zahra Premji is currently the Health Research Librarian at University of Victoria Libraries. She was born and raised in Kenya before moving to Canada to complete her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at the University of Calgary. She also holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Calgary and a Masters of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta. Her areas of research include rigor, reproducibility, and data management in evidence synthesis, teaching evidence synthesis methods, and gamification of learning. She is also passionate about creating a culture of learning and developing as an educational leader.