CURRENT POSITION Assistant Librarian for Kinesiology, Social Work, and Health Sciences, Louisiana State University DEGREE MLIS, Louisiana State University, 2018 FAST FACT Davis loves to sing and tries to do karaoke every weekend, feeling it’s helped her get out of her shell. FOLLOW bit.ly/Davis225; bit.ly/DavisAdvocate; bit.ly/DavisMentor Photo by Moments by Maya Photography

BIPOC Advocate

Nicollette Davis knows how to lift people up. As an admin of the We Here organization, she helps Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) library and information science professionals support each other in a welcoming space. “I have connected with so many library workers and archivists across many states, countries, and time zones,” she says.

Before coming to Louisiana State University, Davis launched a Natural Hair Support Group at her Louisiana public library. It was a hit, she says, drawing nearly 200 participants. “I have had other librarians reach out to me to ask about starting their own groups at their libraries.”

As an American Library Association (ALA) Emerging Leader, Davis is always looking for ways to improve the library field. She worked with the Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA) to evaluate the onboarding experience of BCALA members, presenting their findings at the 2023 ALA Annual Conference. She also co-wrote an article in the Journal of the Medical Library Association about the history of racism in medical librarianship. “While there have been more conversations about it lately, medical racism continues to harm and take the lives of people of color, especially Black people.... It’s important to be critical and acknowledge these harms so that we can improve the future,” she says.

This year, Davis plans to help We Here expand its programming and to co-edit an issue of the Library Diversity and Residency Studies journal. She says, “Generally, I hope to continue building my skills as a librarian [and] writer, and work to make the field better for those who have been historically marginalized.”