Taylor Ralph
Connector, navigator, considerate.
I'm currently reading The Book of Delights by Ross Gay. I'm a bit late to the game on this one, but I think that now is the perfect time to really reflect on the small joys in life.
Community, evolving, facilitating.
What I value most about ACRL is the sense of community. When I first started my career as a librarian straight out of my MLIS program I did not have a large professional network, and I felt a bit lost when it came to my first real, professional job. I joined an interest group for History Librarians and met so many wonderful people at different stages in their careers in libraries across the country. I had the same sense of uncertainty when I switched my career focus from instruction to technical services. Again, ACRL helped me form a community and make connections with people who have taught me so much over the years.
As a Collection Assessment Librarian my role is to ensure that we are providing the best resources we can to our campus communities. I work a lot with data to determine how best to steward our collections. I work with my colleagues to navigate the changing scholarly communication landscape, and offer my insight on how the materials and services we offer and utilized by our patrons. The world of library collections is continually changing, both in consideration of our user needs and expectations but also from the side of publishers and resources themselves. One of my colleagues once said that assessment is more of an art than a science, and I definitely agree.
I often reflect back to my time as an undergraduate students and think about the library as a place. I felt a sense of curiosity, peace, and even excitement as I explored the stacks and met with librarians. I want so badly for everyone to have that same type of experience for their own learning journeys. Considerate collections are one way that we can reflect the lived experiences of our users and create a sense of community. I also want to highlight the importance of friendship between librarians. The friendships that I have made during the course of my career have not only helped improve my actual work, but also my mental and emotional health. It has been invaluable to have other librarians in my corner.
Pronouns:She/her
Credentials:MLIS
Title:Collection Assessment Librarian
Workplace:Oregon State University
Location:Corvallis, OR