Mapping it Out: Examining Grief Policies in AAHSL Libraries

Posted by liaison on June 16th, 2025 Posted in: Webinars and Courses

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Join Region 3 for their upcoming 60-minute webinar, Mapping it Out: Examining Grief Policies in AAHSL Libraries, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at 9:00 – 10:00 AM Mountain. This presentation will discuss the content analysis of bereavement-related policies from 160 AAHSL academic libraries and their affiliated institutions. Using targeted search terms and advanced techniques, the research team identified policies related to grief, bereavement leave, and absences through institutional websites and handbooks. Retrieved documents were analyzed using Voyant, a free text analysis tool. Policies were categorized based on type and duration of leave, eligible relationships, worker classification, and regional differences. A literature review contextualized findings within broader discussions of grief in higher education, librarianship, and specifically, health sciences librarianship.

The guest speakers are Jamia Williams, a health sciences librarian and co-owner of IronClad Media; Xan Goodman, liaison librarian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Twanna Hodge, PhD candidate in the College of Information at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Session objectives:

1. Examine the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) grief and bereavement policies.
2. Describe and define AASHL expansive and restrictive grief and bereavement policies
3. Reflect on the role of institutional grief and bereavement policies

Registration is required. Can’t attend live? Register anyway to receive the link to the session recording. If you have any questions about this webinar, please reach out to Region 3.