Kate Tallman
Inquisitive, collaborative, empathetic.
Hi Zev! I am deep in the Dungeon Crawler Carl cult, so I'm on my 3rd listen of the series. I love speculative fiction. I'm currently re-reading the Parable of the Sower, listening to Swan Song, and am really enjoying my signed copy of We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune (compliments of ALA Annual in Chicago!). Give me a disaster, an alien, a pandemic, or a speculative technology and I'm all-in
Informative, accessible, innovative.
I appreciate the fact that my participation in ACRL can grow with my career. I started out as a government documents librarian, worked as a leader in rare books and archives, and am now directing a department of library liaisons. In each of these roles, there has been an opportunity for me to explore a new side of ACRL. I can participant in different groups and always meet new colleagues and learn something new
I dabble in so many things! That's the best part of the job. I spend a lot of my time looking for opportunities for the liaisons in my department to collaborate or participate in projects that further incorporate the library into campus life. I also teach, provide research support, participate in outreach, purchase resources, and spend much of my time communicating with faculty, staff, and students across campus. I sit on a campus-wide student success community of practice and I really enjoy collaborating on these types of projects with colleagues across campus. From my first day here at Illinois State University, I've felt like a respected member of the campus community.
Academic librarianship is such a rich and rewarding career. While I try to avoid vocational awe, I really think there is something special about this job. I love being part of campus life and feel like I've never stopped learning.
Pronouns:she/her/hers
Credentials:BA Anthropology, MA Southeast Asian Studies, MS Library & Information Studies
Title:Associate Professor and Head of Library Liaison Services
Workplace:Illinois State University
Location:Normal, Il