This year, University Libraries will raise the level of discourse on memes at UNCG with a series of meme-focused guest speakers, interactive workshops, a student art contest (with prizes), and a student-curated digital meme collection.
“Uplifting Memes” is a library outreach project aimed at connecting students with library resources and spaces while also addressing critical, intersecting literacies that help students develop transformative life skills necessary to be informed and engaged in society and navigate digital resources and content.
The project is not just for students. The activities and workshops will be of interest to faculty and staff as well.
“There are any number of ways to incorporate meme-making and analysis into classes across the curriculum. We find that having students create their own memes in the context of academic courses is a great way for instructors to assess comprehension of disciplinary content. It also encourages students to practice translating and distilling their own arguments or ideas from research assignments into a different medium, for a different audience,” say Jenny Dale, University Libraries’ information literacy coordinator and liaison to English, Media Studies, Communication Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies.
The first guest speaker will be Tumblr meme guru Amanda Brennan, presenting “A Brief History of the Internet” on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in the Elliott University Center (EUC) Auditorium.
The first workshop will be “Let’s Get Ethical: Copyright, Fair Use, and Attribution for Memes” on Thursday, Sept. 19, from 5 to 6 p.m. in Jackson Library Lab 177A (next to the Superlab).
Beginning in January 2020, students will be invited to submit meme-related artwork in three categories to a juried art contest with prizes. There will also be a call for all Spartans to submit to a new library meme collection.
The full schedule of speakers and workshops can be found on the Uplifting Memes website, and more information about the project can be seen on the University Libraries announcement page.
