Statement
I have been a dedicated member of LITA for a number of years because I believe that is a very special division of ALA with a strong community and values. Information technology and digital services are central to library functions, and as such must be an embodiment of library values. LITA provides education and community-building to support those aims, and is only getting stronger. I was an Emerging Leader sponsored by LITA in 2013, which gave me the opportunity to see how division governance functions. Since that time I have been a committee chair and member of many committees where I have worked closely with the LITA Board and staff. If elected as a Director-at-Large, I will work collaboratively with the board, staff, and across the division to ensure that LITA maintains a strong community and is a leader in library technology research, education, and advocacy.
Current Position
Digital Services Librarian, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL
Type of Library
Academic
Previous Positions
Web Services Librarian, Dominican University, 2010-2013
Reference/Instruction Librarian, Dominican University, 2009-2010
Degrees and Certificates
University of Illinois, MSLIS, 2008; College of Wooster, BA Classical Languages, 2006
Division Affiliations
ACRL, LITA
Were you a Spectrum Scholar?
No
Were you an Emerging Leader?
Yes
ALA and/or ALA-APA Activities
America's Libraries in the 21st Century Subcommittee (Office for Information Technology Policy Advisory Committee) (2013-2016)
ALA Election Committee (2015-present)
Library Information Technology Association (LITA), Chair, LITA Web Coordinating Committee (2013-2015)
Member Guide for LITA Project, 2017 ALA Emerging Leaders Program (2017)
Member, LITA Chair Coordinator (2016-present)
LITA Communications and Marketing Committee (2016-present)
Member, LITA/OCLC Kilgour Award Committee (2015-2016)
Member, LITA Education Committee (2011-2014)
Member, LITA Forum 2013 Planning Committee (2011-2013)
Offices Held in State, Regional, and Other Library Associations
Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois, Member, Created Content Committee (2013-present)
Chair, Created Content Committee (2016-present)
Member, Code4Lib Conference 2013 Planning Committee (2012-2013)
Member, Chicago Collections Consortium Controlled Vocabulary Working Group (2014-present)
Honors and Awards
2013: Participated in American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders program, sponsored by Library and Information Technology Association (LITA)
2011: 'Social Networking the Catalog' presentation winner of the 'Risky Business' award for experimental and risk-taking projects; LITA National Forum
2011: Awarded an ACRL 2011 Librarian scholarship to defray costs of attending ACRL 2011 conference. Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
Major Accomplishments
As a member of LITA I have undertaken a number of large projects, including launching the LITA Blog Editor position and writing a committee chair guide.
Publications
M. Heller and H. Ma (2016). “Collaborative Growth Towards Discovery: Becoming Stronger Through Change”. In: Exploring Discovery. ALA Editions.
M. Heller and F. Gaede (2016). “Measuring Altruistic Impact: A Model for Understanding the Social Justice of Open Access.” Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication. 4(General Issue), eP2132. http://dx.doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.2132
Bedoya, J., M. Heller, C. Salazar, and M. Yan. “How to Hack It as a Working Parent.” The Code4Lib Journal, no. 28 (April 15, 2015). http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/10409.
Links to Further Information
http://www.gloriousgeneralist.com/portfolio/
Number of Years as an ALA Member
8