I am ACRL Member of the Week

Enterprising, enthusiastic, driven.

I am currently reading the PMBOK® guide- 6th edition as I prepare to take an exam related to project management. I will be finishing an MBA within the next 12 months at the University of South Florida. I want to complete Lean Six Sigma certification and project management certification before graduation. Winter break is the perfect time to knock out some of the heavy reading.

Informative, inspiring, helpful.

As a relatively new academic librarian, I value ACRL's commitment to professional development and scholarship. Before I began working at an academic library, I met with members from the Florida chapter of ACRL at the Florida Library Association conference. They were welcoming to me and explained several of the benefits of being a member of ACRL. Since joining ACRL less than two years ago, I have taken an ecourse on signature pedagogies in information literacy, had a recipe published in the most recent ACRL cookbook on sustainability, and have met so many wonderful peers and mentors. ACRL provides its members with many opportunities to build their careers and develop their skills.

As a college librarian, I have the opportunity to do a lot of different tasks that are each important to my campus. I am in charge of the interlibrary loans and cataloging for my campus. I also assist with library instruction, citation workshops, reference work, and a host of other needs. Everyone on our campus works together to make sure that our students are getting the service that they need and expect from us. The library staff contributes, as a whole, to the overall supportive feeling that our campus wishes to exude. We want students to feel comfortable seeking help at the library and we begin by building those relationships during in-class library instruction. We maintain our strong relationships by continuing to have consistent, positive, authentic experiences with our students whenever they come to the library.

Being an academic librarian is a really fun job! I have enjoyed the transition from public to academic librarianship; however, I wish there was more of a partnership between public and academic libraries because we both offer such important resources. At times, I will find myself speaking with students that are looking for fun, free, and educational things to do with their own children. The local public library systems in my area have amazing services so I take the time to show students those resources. I find that, more often than not, the students do not have a county library card. We have an amazing opportunity to provide a continuation of services beyond college through public libraries. Keeping students, and former students, engaged with libraries of all kinds should be a priority for all of us.