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Resources for Attendees

Welcome to our resources for attendees hub! Whether you’ve joined us one or many times before or you will be joining us for the first time, this page is your go-to destination for essential information. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about the DLF Forum, including our Code of Conduct, tips for first-time attendees navigating the conference landscape, transportation options in East Lansing, and more. With these resources at your fingertips, you can maximize your conference experience and focus on connecting, learning, and growing within our community. Don’t forget to check out our other resources too

Is something missing from this page? Let us know by getting in touch at forum@diglib.org

Common questions answered

Welcome to the Guide

Click on each section to read more.

Please review our DLF Code of Conduct prior to joining us at the Forum. On site, DLF staff will be identifiable by their name badges and white lanyards.

We hope our first-time attendees will feel empowered and comfortable when they attend our events. The DLF Community Committee typically plans social and newcomers’ events – check the Wellness and Activities page for more information. 

Before the events:

  • When you register, consider signing up for the DLF mentorship program
  • We encourage you to select or enter your pronouns to appear on your conference badge when you register and create your user account on our conference management system. This is an entirely optional field, and we welcome everyone to make a selection.
  • There’s no strict dress code at the Forum, but attendees tend to gravitate towards business casual attire. See photos from last year for a better idea. Additionally, meeting rooms can be chilly, so consider keeping a sweater or jacket on hand just in case.


During the events:

  • All sessions at the Forum are open to anyone—Working Group meetings (aka DLF Working Sessions) included. Please feel free to join these whether you’re interested in joining group activities or just learning more about them.
  • We are completely aware of how hard conferencing can be, and want you to have a good experience. Know it’s ok to leave a session if it’s not what you were expecting, or to miss one entirely because you’re otherwise occupied or just need a break. There will be a designated Quiet Room onsite for anyone who wants to recharge or get some work done.
  • Every session has a shared notes doc if you want to catch up on something you missed (or contribute for others), and presenters will be encouraged to upload slides to DLF’s OSF repository. Links are available on the shared notes and slides page.
  • Have a question for organizers during the events? Let us know by stopping by the registration desk, stopping anyone with a white lanyard (which indicates staff), or emailing us at forum@diglib.org.

Have you ever witnessed bullying, harassment, or an uncomfortable encounter in a professional context and wished you knew how to intervene? It can be challenging to know what to say or do on the spot. The DLF Code of Conduct invites participants to be Active Bystanders, but what does that really mean?

DLF’s Committee for Equity and Inclusion hosted an Active Bystander Orientation on October 24, 2023, ahead of the 2023 DLF Forum and affiliated events. This presentation provides an introduction to bystander intervention and an overview of strategies.

View the recording here.

Slides are here.

Suggested readings and resources are here.

The MSU campus is a 15-minute drive from Capital Regional International Airport. Taxicab service costs approximately $15. 

It is a 75-minute (90 mile) drive from Detroit Metro Airport. The Michigan Flyer Airport Shuttle offers bus transportation to East Lansing for approximately $30. Buses run several times a day, and travel takes approximately two hours. 

East Lansing is also accessible from the smaller Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids. It’s a 60-minute (65 mile) drive between the two.

The Capital Area Multimodal Gateway on campus houses the Amtrak Blue Water train stop as well as Greyhound and Indian Trails bus services.

Local CATA (Capital Area Transportation Authority) bus routes stop at the station, and the facility also offers taxicab and bike-sharing services.

MSU campus transportation information is also available, as is information about campus safety.


Parking at MSU

There are pay-by-plate lots or metered spaces around campus. Parking rates are $2 per hour. Check for more parking information at MSU Police Parking Office Page and find visitor parking here. Additionally, information about complimentary parking at MSU is available here. Accessible parking spaces are available to vehicles with the appropriate state-issued disability parking placard at any time.

MSU Main Library

Accessible parking for the library is located on the east side of the Main Library, and at the South (back) entrance. MSU Museum across the library also has an accessibility parking spot. 

Wells Hall

Accessible parking spots for Wells Hall are located on Red Cedar Rd., the east side of Wells. 

MSU Broad Art Museum

The nearest designated accessible parking spaces can be found directly south of the museum in Lot 8 (next to the Student Services building). Additional accessible parking areas can be found in the Grand River parking structure (Ramp 6), as well as north of Grand River Avenue in the City of East Lansing surface lots.

While CLIR/DLF will not be issuing event-specific health protocol announcements in 2024, we maintain and reinforce the following:

  • Masking will be recommended but not required at the DLF Forum at Michigan State University.
  • Our events will be mask-friendly, meaning anyone who wants to wear a mask will be welcome to do so, no questions asked. 
  • CLIR will have masks, tests, and sanitizer available free of charge at the registration desk for anyone who needs them.
  • Any harassment related to masking will be a violation of our Code of Conduct and may be reported and consequences enforced in the same way as any other CoC violation.
  • CLIR will communicate promptly and transparently to all attendees if we learn of a positive test at the Forum. 
  • CLIR will communicate these expectations openly and regularly to all prospective and registered attendees in the weeks leading up to the events.

If you have questions, please send us an email at forum@diglib.org

Should an emergency or otherwise unexpected serious disruption occur, please phone emergency services at 911 immediately. 

DLF staff (who will be clearly designated for the duration of the Forum with name badges and white lanyards) will be onsite to assist by contacting hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, providing escorts, or otherwise helping address the situation in the swiftest, most calm and organized way possible. 

You can also reach CLIR/DLF staff at our emergency/Code of Conduct number at (732) 737-7328 (732-RESPECT) between 7am and 9pm local time. Outside of those hours, please contact the hotel or dial 911 for any after-hours emergencies.

 

Hospitals near Michigan State University


Urgent care centers near Michigan State University

Please call or visit their websites to learn more about their limited hours. 

  • Sparrow Urgent Care (2 miles away / 7 minute drive) – 2682 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, 48823. Phone: 517-333-6562
  • Lansing Urgent Care – Frandor (2.5 mile away / 9 minute drive) – 505 N. Clippert St., Lansing, 48912. Phone: 517-999-2273

Nursing Room

We will provide a nursing room onsite for those who prefer a quiet, private place to breastfeed their baby or pump. However, please feed your baby whenever and wherever you like. We strive to be a friendly environment for families.

Please ask for the key to the nursing room at the conference registration desk. This room is accessible to one family at a time and is located in a private classroom room away from the conference spaces. The room has chairs and a table and is across the hallway from a kitchen and a bathroom.

Childcare and Summer Camp Options

While we are not able to provide onsite childcare at the DLF Forum this year, the planning team has compiled a list of resources that may help. Note that many childcare places near campus do not allow for drop ins, including Spartan Child Development Center and People’s Church Preschool.


If you have questions about any of this information, please reach out to us at
forum@diglib.org.

Floor Plans and Virtual Tours

View the floor plans and virtual tours of the conference venues below. Learn more about the venues on the Conference Venues and Hotels page. While onsite, attendees may utilize the MSU Guide App as a way to help navigate.

MSU Main Library 

Floor Plans

Virtual Tour – If these virtual tours are inaccessible to you, please contact accessibility@lib.msu.edu to request an in-person tour or a written floor plan description.

Wells Hall

Annotated Floor Plan

Virtual Tour

MSU Broad Art Museum 

Virtual Tour

If you have questions about access or wish to request special accommodations, please contact Dana Steiner, Visitor Services Coordinator, at steine58@msu.edu or (517) 884-4813.


Accessing the Conference Spaces

MSU Main Library

The Library has a North entrance (West Circle Dr.) if you’re coming from Grand River Ave. and a South (back) entrance (Red Cedar Rd.) if you’re coming from Owen Halls or Wells Hall.

The North entrance is not wheelchair accessible. There are 3 (stairs) for the North entrance, two of them lead to the north door and one leads to the east door. These doors are not locked during off-hours to allow library patrons to collect borrowed library material from the self-serve lockers. Automatic/power assisted door opener is available for the east doors entrance. 

The short hallway after the entrance door leads visitors to the inside doors of the main building. These inside doors are locked during off-hours. There are security gates present inside the building. 

The South entrance is wheelchair accessible via an all access ramp and has automatic/power assisted door opener for both the outside entrance doors and inside doors. Both doors are locked during off-hours. There are security gates present inside the building. 

All elevators have Braille and tactile numbering and lettering both outside and inside each elevator.

Wells Hall

Entrance from the Red Cedar Rd.

Exit from the library back door and walk across the bridge. Turn left on the sidewalk (either the one along the river or along the street) and walk toward the building. The entrance is wheelchair accessible, but it has no Automatic/power assisted door opener.

You’ll arrive in the A-wing of the building. Keep walking through the hallway until almost reaching the opposite entrance doors, turn right using the ramp walkway, and keep going until you reach the B119 room. We’ll have DLF signage in front of the room. 

Entrance from the quad

Walk from the library back door, turn left before the bridge and walk along the river until you get to the second bridge. Cross the bridge and walk toward the building. Keep walking past the bicycle parking spots. The closest entrance to the B119 room is the double doors with the wheelchair signage next to the seating area (see picture linked above). Turn right after you enter the building to get to the B119 room.

MSU Broad Art Museum

The main entrance of the museum is wheelchair accessible via an all-access ramp and has an automated power assisted door.

Mobility 

MSU Libraries is fully wheelchair-accessible, however it does not have wheelchairs available for borrowing. The Library has an Amigo motorized cart to help patrons move throughout the building and shopping carts that conference attendees can borrow while in the building. When you register, please let us know if there are any mobility assistance needs you may have during the Forum, and we’ll be in contact to help address them as well as we can. If you have any questions, please email us at forum@diglib.org


Meeting Rooms

MSU Main Library

  • All library classrooms have dimmable lighting. 
  • Temperature in classrooms can be adjusted by asking CLIR staff.
  • Not all rooms in the library are equipped with curtains or window coverings. 

Wells Hall

The space we’ll be using in Wells is a large lecture hall space with auditorium seating and no windows.

MSU Broad Art Museum

No sessions will take place at the Museum, only the opening reception.

Restrooms

MSU Main Library

  • 1st floor restrooms:
    • Single-gender
    • One ADA stall in each restroom
    • Baby changing station is available in both restrooms
    • Equipped with automatic / power-assisted doors
  • 2nd floor restrooms, West Wing: 
    • All-gender and single-gender restrooms available
    • One ADA stall in single-gender restroom
    • No automatic / power-assisted doors
  • 3rd floor restrooms, West Wing: 
    • All-gender and single-gender restrooms available
    • One ADA stall in single-gender restroom 
    • No automatic / power-assisted doors
  • 4th floor restrooms, West Wing, nearest conference meeting rooms:
    • Single-gender
    • No ADA stall in these restrooms
    • No automatic / power-assisted doors
  • 4th floor restrooms, West Wing, near Music Library:
    • All-gender and single-gender restrooms available 
    • One ADA stall in each restroom. The all-gender restroom has grab bars for right transfer, the women’s restroom has grab bars for left transfer.
    • No automatic / power-assisted doors

Wells Hall

A single use restroom is available on each floor of the Wells B-wing. It is located around the building from B119. The single-use restroom is also ADA compliant.

MSU Broad Art Museum

Single-gender restrooms are available on the 1st floor next to the Museum Shop area. There are two ADA stalls in the women’s restroom.

Outdoor Space

The MSU campus has copious outdoor space where attendees can take a break and get some fresh air. There are a number of outdoor move-able chairs and a large lawn in front of Wells Hall as well as along the river in between the Main Library building and Wells Hall.

Quiet Room 

The Quiet Room is intended to provide a quiet, calm space where conference attendees can spend time away from noise, lights, and other stimuli of conference spaces. It is not available for conversations or meetings. The Quiet Room will be located in W207, the CTLI Instruction Room, near the Microprint / Microform Guides on the 2nd floor. All-gender and single-gender restrooms are available near the Quiet Room.

Smoking and Smoke-Free Areas

The MSU campus is entirely smoke-free. If you’d like to know more about fragrance at the conference, see the section below, Fragrance at the Forum.

Air Circulation and Filtration

MSU has a mixture of MERV 11 and MERV 13 filters in the air handling units across campus. The Library air handling runs 24/7. Wells Hall B119 air circulation runs based on room usage.

When you register for our event, you will have the option to tell us whether or not you would like to be photographed. We ask our attendees to not photograph, video, or audio record anyone without their express permission. Attendees will have differentiated badge lanyards showing their preference for photography.

 

Black lanyards: Photographs are okay

Yellow lanyards: Please don’t take my photograph

Accessibility at MSU Libraries

Lots of information about accessibility at MSU Libraries can be found here.

Accessible Presentations

We ask that all presenters review our Creating Accessible Presentations webinar and submit their presentations in our conference repository on Open Science Framework (OSF). We recommend that presenters submit their presentations before or during the conference for attendees to access them. OSF links are organized by conference and are available on the shared notes and slides page.

Listening Systems

Library classrooms are not equipped with an in-room listening system. An assistive listening device is available for events or meetings taking place in the Library Green Room (4th floor). If you’d like to request accommodations or if you have questions, please let us know at forum@diglib.org.

Microphones

Microphones will be used for all speakers during the opening and closing plenary sessions. All breakout rooms in the library have mics at the podiums and in some cases have lavalier and/or handheld mics as well. Speakers will be encouraged to repeat attendee questions into a microphone if an audience microphone is not available. 

Livestreaming and Recording

We plan to livestream the opening and closing plenaries for the DLF Forum as well as provide partial or full recordings on our Featured Speakers page.

Hotel Accommodations

If you require an ADA compliant or accessible hotel room, please let your hotel know directly during your room reservation process. This includes needs like an accessible restroom, a bathtub, room located close to elevators, a fragrance-free room, etc.

Fragrance at the Forum

MSU Main Library

The Library does not use scent diffusers in any areas. Cleaning products do not have a fragrance, but may have a cleaning product smell which may linger. Additionally, library staff are expected to avoid wearing fragrances that could potentially become a distraction to their patrons.

For the comfort and safety of those with chemical sensitivities, the DLF Forum is a fragrance-free event. Please refrain from wearing products such as perfumes/colognes, scented lotions, and clothing with strong detergent scents while attending. Thank you for your consideration for all members of our community. 

Wells Hall

Wells Hall also does not use scent diffusers, nor do any other campus locations (per MSU Facilities). Like in the Libraries, cleaning products do not have a fragrance, but may have a cleaning product smell which may linger.

MSU Broad Art Museum

The planning team is working to determine what fragrances, if any, are utilized at the Museum.


More information on being fragrance-free can be found here:

Local Dining Options

Our Community Committee has developed a guide to local dining and entertainment options. Find it on our Local Guide page.

Dietary Requirements at Our Events

Attendees will receive two meal tickets for MSU campus dining facilities for lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. These facilities strive to meet all dietary requirements. DLF will also provide coffee and light refreshments at other times throughout the conference and will work to ensure everything is well-labeled. Please let us know your dietary requirements when you register, and contact us at forum@diglib.org for more detailed information.

Reception

With registration to the DLF Forum, we will provide one complimentary beverage ticket (included in your welcome packet) to be redeemed at the Monday night opening reception. We will offer creative spirit-free cocktails, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages.

  • Community Mental Health for Central Michigan – If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate assistance, call their Crisis Hotline at 1-800-317-0708; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • DLF’s emergency/Code of Conduct number at (732) 737-7328 (732-RESPECT). This number will be continuously monitored by CLIR/DLF staff during our in-person events between the hours of 7am and 9pm in the time zone of the events.

Is something missing from this list?

Please let us know if we have not included something you need, something that would improve your experience, or something that would make your attendance possible.

People seated at tables in a conference hotel main space with projector screen in background.

Wait, there's more

Navigating conferences can be a complex task. Drawing insights from feedback provided by previous participants and with the collaborative efforts of groups such as our Community Committee and Committee on Equity and Inclusion working group, we have developed resources to help orient folks as much as possible.

View of people at a table from behind, showing a person with purple hair holding a microphone with large sticky note and smaller sticky notes on table.
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