I am ACRL Member of the Week

Meet ACRL Member: Nancy Falciani-White

ABOUT

Nancy Falciani-White, MSLIS, EdD (she/her/hers)
Library Director
Randolph-Macon College
Ashland, VA
Twitter

Describe yourself in three words

Intuitive, strategic, planner.

What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device)?

I’m usually reading multiple books, but this is a lot even for me: "How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi (before-bed kindle read, so glad to finally be reading this!), "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo (a goal since high school, determined to finish this year), "American Dirt " by Jeanine Cummins (wasn’t aware of the associated controversy when I started it, now finishing it and looking for #OurVoices books to learn more), "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo (cross-campus discussion group), "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkein (reading aloud to my elementary school-age kids),  "Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers" by Jessamyn Neuhaus (as a GIN—geek, introvert, nerd—(her words), I’m always trying to do a better job facilitating student learning both in and out of the classroom), "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" by V.E. Schwab (fun on-the-way-to-work audio book) , and "Diary of an 8-bit Warrior: From Seeds to Swords" by Cube Kid (reading aloud to my elementary school-age kids when LOTR is just too much).

Describe ACRL in three words

Networking, learning, opportunities.

What do you value about ACRL?

I appreciate that ACRL is working to evolve to meet the needs of its diverse membership. I continue to be impressed by the creativity and passion of ACRL members and I regularly learn new things that challenge my personal and professional knowledge and assumptions.

What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus?

As library director at a small library, I wear many hats and get to be at least somewhat involved in all the functional areas of the library. The area which I view as the greatest responsibility and, I hope, where I have the greatest impact, is in setting the strategic vision for the library on campus. What should a small 21st century liberal arts college library prioritize? How should our physical and virtual spaces be used and our funds allocated? How can the library represent the community and what role should it play in diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion initiatives both internally and across campus? What positions the library to best support our students in 50 years? These are the things I most enjoy thinking about.

In your own words

Academic libraries should be centers of creativity, serving as catalysts that facilitate the right conditions for ideas to interact and spark. But academic libraries should also be centers of research in their own right, actively engaged in examining their own theory and practice. This engagement allows academic libraries to not only better meet the needs of their communities, but also to shape the future of the profession instead of passively reacting to the economic, political, technological, and societal changes happening around it.