Cathy Aster has been selected as a Conversation Partner for the IMLS-funded Authenticity Project. In a collaboration by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Library Alliance and the Digital Library Federation, the mentoring and professional development program provides opportunities for staff at HBCUs and predominantly white institutions (PWIs) to foster connections and build information exchanges using a project-based focus. The goal of the Authenticity Project is “to create a more diverse, inclusive, collaborative and cohesive next-generation digital library workforce, ready to work across types of institutions in building infrastructure of various kinds (social and technological) in service to a wide array of communities.”