Describe yourself in three words:

Learner, connector, caring.

What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device)?

I enjoy reading and listening to true crime stories. I recently finished two great podcasts: Serial season three and Bear Brook. Serial season three zooms in on the justice system in Cleveland, OH. I feel like I now have a more complex picture of Cleveland than I would get from just reading travel guides before attending ACRL 2019.

Describe ACRL in three words:

Advocate, leader, connector.

What do you value about ACRL?

ACRL has done a lot of great advocacy work for academic libraries. I feel that I have especially benefited from the research produced from the Value of Academic Libraries Initiative. I look forward to seeing the results of the Project Outcome for Academic Libraries Task Force as I think this tool could help build upon the impact studies from the value initiative.

I value the leadership ACRL brings to important conversations, such as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and the provision of guidelines and training around core issues in academic librarianship, such as roadshows addressing emerging knowledge domains and publication of standards and frameworks to guide our local practices.

What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus?

My passion for teaching & learning guides my work and I feel that I bring that to campus every day, whether I am in the classroom, coaching a colleague, partnering with faculty on information literacy or advocating for resources to improve our services. I want students, faculty and staff to know that the library and our staff are making an impact on student learning every day.

In your own words

I think academic libraries will continue to be staffed by talented professionals for the years to come. Our libraries need librarians from diverse backgrounds with diverse interests and skill sets to help us change to meet the future needs of higher education. I hope that today’s students see themselves as belonging in the library so that they might have opportunities to then see themselves working in a library and then that we all will support them along that path.

Credentials:MLS

Title:Assistant Director of Libraries for User Services

Workplace:University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee

Location:Milwaukee, WI