Deepcare is working with SEIU 775 Benefits Group, Washington’s leading homecare benefits provider, to uncover key causes of turnover in the homecare industry. The annual turnover rate is approaching a staggering 60%, meaning that in Washington alone, 30,000 additional aides will be needed in the next decade. We built a data-mart and performed some data analysis in order to uncover the causes and predictors of this high turnover rate, and found out that much of what was conventionally thought to be true about this industry wasn’t. These results will let SEIU Benefits Group most efficiently teach and train workers.

Adolescent resources on puberty are lacking in public libraries. Information is scattered, outdated, and non-inclusive of LBGTQ+ children and children of color. All adolescents need more relevant, accessible information on sexuality, reproduction, gender, and their changing bodies. This project assessed over 200 books and online resources for sexual and ethnic diversity. The Lake Oswego Public Library collection was improved with materials purchased, consolidated call numbers, annotated booklists, and a blog. A toolkit was created for use by other libraries. The library’s collection now reflects the experiences of its diverse patrons, with better access to resources for their safety and well-being.

Descriptive standards used to develop archival descriptions—also called finding aids—are well-suited to describe the fundamental documentary elements of collections of analog materials; it becomes necessary to assess these standards’ applicability for born-digital materials, which are being ingested into repositories with increasing frequency. After writing archival descriptions of a born-digital collection which is to be accessioned by UW’s Special Collections, I have evaluated where these standards do not address the fundamental documentary elements of born-digital materials. I have also developed a set of recommended adaptations to these standards, so that they can adequately convey relevant information about born-digital materials.

For my project I have designed a ten week, graduate level course in descriptive bibliography. Descriptive bibliography is the art of describing books in the hand press period of printing. The course will provide exposure and hands-on experience to the basics of bibliographic description. The course focuses on the five main components in descriptive bibliography; format, collation formula, statement of signing, number of leaves, and pagination statement. The goal of this project is to showcase bibliographic description and the need for courses in the field.

Our research found an information gap on research concerning how librarians serve teens with disabilities in libraries. To address this issue, we developed and produced a live recording of a WLA CAYAS sponsored webinar that promoted our best practices to help librarians serve teens with disabilities. Our Webinar helped librarians learn how to more effectively serve teens with a wide range of disabilities in public and school libraries. We covered best practices for interacting with this population, how to help them access relevant information, programming ideas, how to build accessible and inclusive spaces, and discussed funding opportunities.

Women, POC, and LGBTQIA+ individuals are critically underrepresented in video game protagonists, while straight, White male protagonists dominate the medium. This inequality not only alienates players, but also makes marginalized individuals less likely to pursue game development as a career. By conducting a historical overview of the customizability, species, gender, complexion, race, age, and sexual orientation of video game protagonists, we aim to quantify this inequality to establish the need for change on the part of developers. The goal of this research is to effect positive change in representation and inclusivity both on-screen and behind the scenes.

Little Seedlings Bilingual Preschool is a new preschool in the Renton, WA, and has no budget to establish a Vietnamese and English library for their preschool students. The Director hopes to expand their small library with not only Vietnamese and English books, but also collect read-along books to stimulate their students’ literacy skills and boost independent reading. Through this project, iSchool Student Charlene developed a Collection Development Policy for the library, fund-raised $275 for the Listen Center, cataloged and weeded 400+ books using LibraryThing, and organized the library space for better access and browsing for students.

College students face a wide range of stressful situations that can be difficult to navigate alone. Our web app, Drifting, provides guided exercises— for processing difficult emotions or providing encouragement— and a forum to see other’s thoughts for similar situations. Inspired by the concept of the message in the bottle, where people can anonymously release their secrets to the sea, we offer a safe place for students to confide in their troubles, to support each other, and to promote healthier mental wellbeing.

Personal projects are the culmination of our intrinsic goals and desires but starting, working and completing them is difficult - we push them aside due to the lack of deadlines and consequences. Earlybird bridges the gap between intention and action by encouraging users to commit five minutes of work on their personal projects at a time and rewarding each commitment and additional time spent working on their project. The gamified experience coupled with mindfulness techniques to overcome procrastination barriers offers a unique solution that will help our users cultivate a habit of realizing their latest aspirations.