Our large, urban research university serves a sizeable, diverse community and is open to all. Library building closures in the early stages of the pandemic challenged us to maintain a comparable degree of openness and access virtually. We saw an opportunity to enhance our virtual reference services and keep the library "open" even when our buildings were closed. Since access to our physical collections was suddenly cut off, we established a new Get Help Finding a Digital Copy service that connected patrons to librarians working from home who could help them find digital copies of inaccessible physical items. Our crisis response became part of our permanent virtual reference services and ultimately improved the user experience of our library catalog. This poster will describe the service and present data illustrating how we meet patron needs and keep staff-patron relationships engaged during times of potential disconnection and disengagement. Learning Outcomes: Participants will learn how to enhance traditional email reference services by adding a focus on finding digital copies of inaccessible or inconveniently accessible physical materials. Participants will identify ways of deploying virtual reference technologies already in use at many libraries to facilitate access to their resources, even when buildings are closed, or patrons and staff are at a distance. Participants will learn techniques for helping virtual reference staff adapt to increased request volume and remote work conditions.

This study proposes federal legislation to provide educational support for English Learners (students who lack English language proficiency). Federal law could establish standards and requirements not just for specialized English as a Second Language teachers but general classroom teachers, as well; place regulation, enforcement, and funding with the Department of Education; and level disparate state solutions.

Teachers are not only empowered to report but face penalties for failing to report suspected child abuse and neglect. This builds a surveillance environment and may contribute to the overreporting of Black students and their disporportionate number in the foster care system. The author studies Pennsylvania statutes and recommends amendments mandating implicit bias training for teachers and allowing teachers to discuss potential reports with school counselors or administrators before submission.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs seek to produce graduates with developed workplace and life skills, technical aptitude, and employability. Historically, however, CTE legislation has enabled bias, allowing educators to segregate students by race and ability out of college prep tracks. At the same time, laws promoting conventional higher education programs have narrowed instruction by incentivizing performance on stanadardized tests. This paper proposes supporting CTE programs which have proven to achieve both vocational and academic success.