Amanda Choi
ALA Divisions:
Collegial, hardworking, Hufflepuff.
I am reading "Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead)" edited by Susan D. Blum and "Housecat Trouble" by Mason Dickerson, a graphic novel my daughter recommended to me.
Community-building, professional development.
I value the opportunity to learn from passionate, creative, like-minded academic librarians whose work provides a consistent source of inspiration.
Working at a community college, our students come to us with a great variety of experience and preparation. I believe I contribute to my campus in a fundamental way by helping to bridge the gap between what our students know about finding and using sources and what their instructors expect, preparing them to succeed not only at our campus but beyond. I also ensure that my library is a warm, welcoming space on campus that offers a sense of community and acceptance to all. To my colleagues outside of the library, I am an advocate on campus for information literacy, accessibility, inclusion, effective online pedagogy and open educational resources.
In the movie, Say Anything, Lloyd Dobler famously stated: "I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that." The sentiment resonated with me and before I entered library school, I'd had just about every job imaginable chasing what felt like an impossible balance between doing work that used my skills and abilities and that was meaningful and sustainable. I feel so privileged that I was able to keep searching until I found librarianship, specifically community college librarianship, which has given me just what I was looking for out of a career. Everyday I go to work knowing I'm doing something worthwhile by serving the mission of community colleges to make higher education accessible for all. I get to do what I love (and what I'm good at)--teaching, research, connecting with students, building collections--while working at a job that reflects my values, how amazing is that!
Title:Librarian
Workplace:Diablo Valley College, San Ramon Campus
Location:San Ramon, CA