I am ACRL Member of the Week

Engaging, facilitator, supportive.

For work, I am currently reading "Creating and Sharing Online Library Instruction" by Joelle Pitts, Sara K. Kerns, and Heather Collins. For myself, I am currently reading "Love Does" by Bob Goff.

Active, initiator, inclusive.

As an early-career librarian, I value ACRL in a few key ways: their focus on inclusivity and diversity, their commitment to early career librarians, their focus on increasing student learning and success. I attended the Symposium for Strategic Leadership in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Minnesota back in May 2018. This ARL/ACRL sponsored symposium was critical in laying out the foundational actions my colleagues and I developed for our library’s EDI&A initiatives and in support of our cross-university priorities. As a 2019 Emerging Leader, I have the honor of being sponsored by ACRL Science and Technology Section (STS). The financial and leadership support for early career librarians really underscores their acknowledgement of the importance of networking, creating active communities of practice, and their commitment to professional development. ACRL’s literature does a great job of keeping me informed about best practices and new ideas being implemented across the profession. This is what I value about ACRL.

My first career in the information technology field has helped me make considerable contributions to our campus. As a User Support Specialist Associate, I have created strong relationships with staff, students, and faculty. Although, I have not held the position of as academic librarian, I have been able to help support the work to many of the librarians. I have contributed ideas around implementing emerging technologies, improving workflow processes, and most importantly, creating community-focused relationships. My user-focused approach to customer-service has guided my work and enhanced these contributions. After working at five academic libraries and two public libraries, I have come to the realization is that libraries do not just serve customers, but we build and serve community.

In my amazing journey, I have received much support from different groups and individuals. As a graduate from the LEEP Program at the School of Information Sciences (2017) at UIUC (now The iSchool at Illinois), I consider the experience I received an invaluable foundation. My immense gratitude towards the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) as an Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce (IRDW) Diversity Scholar (2015-2017), and the American Library Association as a Spectrum Scholar (2016-2017). I had the privilege to be selected to attend the ALA Leadership Institute: Leading to the Future (2017) led by past ALA President Maureen Sullivan and library and leadership consultant Kathryn Deiss. Next year, I will have the honor to participate in the ALA Emerging Leader Program and be sponsored by ACRL-STS. I am most thankful for are my colleagues at Northwestern University Libraries, the confidence and trust they have they have placed in me is immeasurable and humbling. Now, my journey continues in my new role as the Instructional Technologies Librarian. Building stronger relationships and serving the larger community with equity and inclusivity as arsenals in my toolkit, gives me inspiration. The work is hard, the work will take time, and the work is ongoing. Nevertheless, satisfyingly rewarding.