Mapping it out: Examining Grief Policies in AAHSL Libraries

Webinar Description: 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.

Speaker Bios:

• Jamia Williams earned her Bachelor of Science in History from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport and earned her Master of Library Science from North Carolina Central University. Williams is a health sciences librarian and co-owner of IronClad Media, a mixed-media consulting firm. She brings her expertise to the intersection of storytelling and scholarship as a podcast producer, researcher, and writer.
• Xan Goodman currently serves as the liaison librarian to the four schools in the Division of Health Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the School of Integrated Health Sciences, the School of Public Health, the School of Dental Medicine, and the School of Nursing. She is educated as an informationist and holds a postgraduate Advanced Interprofessional Informationist certificate from Simmons University and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Wayne State University.
• Twanna Hodge is a PhD candidate in the College of Information at the University of Maryland, College Park. She holds a BA in Humanities from the University of the Virgin Islands and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington. She was an academic librarian for over seven years. She is a 2013 American Library Association (ALA) Spectrum Scholar and a 2022 ALA Spectrum Doctoral Fellow.

This class is for educational and informational purposes in alignment with NNLM goals and does not offer medical advice. By analyzing bereavement-related policies across 160 AAHSL academic libraries using data‑informed methods and text‑analysis tools, the presentation supports NNLM’s strategic emphasis on data-driven health discovery and workforce development.

By registering for this class, you are agreeing to the NNLM Code of Conduct