Terra Jacobson
ALA Divisions:
Energetic, helpful, determined.
My can't-miss podcasts are Culture Study by Anne Helen Petersen and NPR's Planet Money. I am currently reading One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune. For professional reading, I recommend checking out my colleague Dr. Troy Swanson's book, Knowledge as a Feeling, and I recently published (through ACRL) an edited book with my good friend and colleague, Spencer Brayton, titled Valuing the Community College Library: Impactful Practices for Institutional Success. The work the authors share in this book is so impressive. It's been a joy to work on this book with them.
Advocacy, camaraderie, collaboration.
When I was a new librarian, ACRL was a great way to get involved and explore many aspects of the profession. Now, further into my career, ACRL is an organization I rely on for quality professional materials and connections with my peers. I value the Community and Junior College Libraries Section and the research and data collection that ACRL conducts on our behalf. Also, the ACRL survey is more important than ever to our institutions.
As the Dean of Learning Resources at Moraine Valley Community College, my job is demonstrate the value of our library to our campus and advocate for resources and funding. My role is really to support the smartest folks I know, who are specialists in their field, in our library, and help them achieve the goals they have. I help set their vision into practice, obtain funding, and put their ideas to work on our campus. I get to work with faculty and staff, both in and outside the library, to develop innovative programs for our students. I love that I get to work on a wide variety of projects while having the opportunity to work with the best experts in the field at my library. Check out our library, were doing great work: lib.morainevalley.edu
I also work as an adjunct instructor at Dominican University’s School of Information Studies. I love that I get to work with new librarians and share the excitement of working as a community college librarian with them.
I am so fortunate to work in a field that aligns with my personal values and a strong sense of justice and equity. I love the open-access mission of community colleges and how our libraries get to work with the community and students. Community college libraries have the best parts of public and academic libraries and a teaching-and-learning-centered mission, which makes my work even more gratifying.
Pronouns:She/Her
Credentials:PhD
Title:Dean of Learning Resources
Job Function:Dean of the library at Moraine Valley Community College and adjunct instructor at Dominican University
Workplace:Moraine Valley Community College & Instructor at Dominican University's School of Information Studies
Location:Palos Hills, IL and River Forrest, IL