Previous Member Spotlight:
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Aisha Conner-Gaten
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Professional experience, particularly LLAMA activities:
I have been fairly active in ALA since graduate school (2012 seems so far away!) but did not really have an active interest in committee work until LLAMA. Currently I am the LLAMA Human Resources Section Emerging Trends Discussion Group Chair as well as a LLAMA Human Resources Committee Member. As a bit of a library outsider, I also found great support with the LLAMA New Professionals Section (NPS) and am the LLAMA NPS Social Media Team Leader. In addition to LLAMA, I also participate in the NMRT Online Discussion Forum, am a content editor for INALJ, and run a local LIS Job Hunters group for new graduates.
Why you would recommend LLAMA to a colleague:
As a non-librarian with a tremendous amount of admiration and respect for the field (and a MSLIS I’m itching to use), LLAMA was instrumental in connecting me to librarians and new professionals via the New Professionals Section. LLAMA members come from every level of management and experience in libraries and all are happy to share their knowledge (and job opportunities!) with you. Everyone mentions that ALA divisions provide the chance to create change and participate in committee work, but LLAMA was the first place that I felt welcome to really jump in and get involved. There are opportunities to lead, innovate, and learn while meeting colleagues and creating personal friendships that last a lifetime.
What was the best book you read recently?
I generally read several novels at once so last month I finally, and shamefully, finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, bought at last year’s Annual and left on my shelf for months, as well as Pride and Prejudice for the very first time ever. It always seemed so dense and overly descriptive but I really liked it this time around. I highly suggest finding a MOOC for any books you can’t get through alone!