librarianship =

When I left college I knew for certain what I was doing and where I was going, but my bullet train to a PhD was derailed after four years and I spent about four more floundering, trying to pick up the pieces of my life. At one point a friend asked me what I really wanted to do, what I liked doing most, and then suggested that I go with the answer. The most honest response I could give was that I liked connecting people with other people. I love discovering how people can work together and seeing where those interactions take them. It is honestly why I became a librarian–not because of books–but because I could work with people. I enjoy getting to know our students and their interests both in research and in life. One of my favorite interactions with undergraduates at UNCG has been when I could suggest that they contact my friend who works at the Pentagon or my friend researching women in Cameroon. It isn’t just about the books anymore, but also about the real-life connections you have out there.

Connecting people is why I am running for ALA Council and for ACRL’s Law & Political Science Section’s Vice-Chair. My bio mentions Emerging Leaders as an impetus for running and that wasn’t just pandering. Emerging Leaders was an eye-opening experience for me. I met so many new librarians with incredibly diverse interests and skills.  I left the annual conference in DC with several new friends: a youth services librarian who worked with teen moms, two gamer librarians who went on to start the Game RT and host of other things, an amazing library technician who now works for Cirque du Soleil, and many other librarians doing rawk star work at institutions all over. These are our librarians and, man, they are an impressive bunch.

It is because of these people that I am running for ALA Council. I can’t commit to making grand changes. But I can commit to doing what I do best, making connections and connecting others in library land.

My CV and more are available on this blog. I would love to have your vote!