This issue of Alki takes up the WLA 2024 conference theme of “We All Belong.” Libraries work hard to embody this ideal, and this issue hopes to capture some of the many ways those within the Washington library community strive towards that goal.
Inside this issue, you will find pieces on increasing accessibility in online materials, creating family-friendly spaces in academic libraries, and supporting 2SLGTBQIA+ communities in our libraries. Also included are articles on the importance of building community in rural libraries as well as an overlooked space in archives research: personal UFO collections. Additionally, as the conference issue, you’ll find updates on the community at large, including the WLA Mentor program, the WLA 2024 Merit Award winners, the 2024 ALA conference, and the news from this year’s Washington state legislative session.
Alki Editor-in-Chief: Jenny Van Houdt
Alki Web Editor: Ray Zill
Alki Editorial Committee: Ann Dyer, chair; Mikayla Kittilstved, chair; Julie Graham; Irene Miller; Anna Pederson; Marisa Petrich; Traci Timmons, Theo Fite
Cover photo attribution: Four photos from the 2024 WLA Conference were selected to be featured on this issue’s cover. Thank you to Neil McKay, Ray Pun, Sara Jensen, and Johanna Jacobsen Kiciman for capturing these moments!
