Chanda Briggs
ALA Divisions:
ALA Roundtables:
Charismatic, insightful, passionate.
I just started reading You Like it Darker by Stephen King and The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. My renewed interest in horror was inspired by having read the graphic novel A Nice House by the Lake by James Tynion IV, which is a horror/sci-fi tale. The Ministry of Time sounded really interesting and I am a time travel fantasy/sci-fi nerd, so it’s right up my alley.
Necessary, communal, proactive.
ACRL has been valuable to me as an early career librarian. I have learned so much about our industry, its benefits and challenges and so much about what needs to be done to prepare for the world ahead of us. ACRL is perfectly placed to disseminate ideas, giving us the opportunity to serve our community and empower those who have historically been ignored or marginalized.
As the Outreach Librarian, it’s my responsibility to facilitate awareness of and engagement with our services and resources. We have so much to offer and if our patrons don’t know it’s there, they can’t take advantage of it. This is increasingly important in a rapidly changing landscape. On our campus we have a philosophy of “cura personalis” or “the whole person.” I fulfill this aspiration by creating the means for my team and our collaborators to engage students not only with academic interests, but also in regards to their social/emotional/civic lives. This can look like anything from creative writing events, promoting reproductive health through graphic novels, to raising awareness of historical phenomena or to myriad cultures through a library display. As a liaison librarian to the humanities, I am regularly assessing student needs, emerging technologies and the means of information transition to keep information literacy relevant, accessible and socially responsible.
Librarianship for me, is not just a career– it’s a way of life. It is a rare thing to do what one cares about as a vocation and to also know one is having a positive impact on people in their community. I am very lucky to be the Outreach Librarian because I get to work with people on their passion projects and flex my creativity in the process. I am doubly lucky that I work with students in the classroom and as library workers. Nothing inspires hope for the future like seeing people enjoy the bliss of discovery and I learn so much about the world and ways of seeing it from them as well. I know it sounds too idyllic to be real, but even in light of the challenges we face, I feel like I found my professional home in librarianship and it’s such a precious and improbable thing to be given such a powerful charge, especially as a first gen librarian. I didn't see people who looked like me working in libraries when I was young, and I dream of that experience being eradicated. My hope is that I and my fellow librarians meet the moment before us to challenge outdated traditions, and move forward incorporating and including the wisdom, and lifeways of our least empowered communities. This is how we ensure libraries really are for everyone.
Pronouns:she/her
Credentials:MLIS
Title:Outreach Librarian
Job Function:outreach and instruction
Workplace:University of San Francisco/Gleeson Library
Location:San Francisco, CA