RUSA - STARGazing - Tina Baich



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RUSA - STARGazing: Meet Tina BaichTina Baich image

1. What’s your institutional affiliation?

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, or IUPUI for brevity’s sake. I work at University Library, one of five libraries on campus.



2. What’s your OCLC symbol?

IUP



3. What would be the title of your autobiography?

Reading Interrupted



4. How did you get involved in resource sharing (or access services, etc.)?

Like most library school curricula, mine did not include anything about resource sharing, so I consider myself lucky to have found my way into it. I was a graduate assistant in ILL & Reference during my final year in library school, and felt that resource sharing was the perfect place for me. I love the detective work aspect of resource sharing and connecting users to the resources they need to succeed. The ILL Librarian position became vacant around the time I received my degree, and I was hired. The timing was perfect!



5. What are you passionate about? How does that passion inform your work?

I am passionate about service. Since resource sharing is all about service, my passion informs everything I do. It drives the projects I choose to take on and the services I implement. Everything is about making our services more efficient and effective for our users. My passion for service also translates into my research interests with most of my presentations centering on streamlining ILL workflows and the use of online finding aids and open access resources to fill ILL requests.



6. What do you feel are the benefits of your STARS membership, and why would you encourage others to get involved?

One of the biggest benefits of STARS membership is the opportunity to network with like-minded colleagues. The connections you make through STARS will enhance your own professional development and inspire you make your own library services better.



7. What do you wish you’d known when you started out in resource sharing (access services, etc.)?

I wish I'd known how easy it is to get involved in the resource sharing community. As a new academic librarian, I was uneasy about the requirements for professional development and service placed on me. STARS has made it extremely simple to fulfill those requirements while also having a great time. I also wish I'd known about all the existing codes and guidelines that could have helped guide my initial learning in the field of resource sharing.



8. How has your STARS membership helped you do your job?

Through my STARS membership I've met lots of wonderful resource sharing professionals who have given me innumerable ideas for improving my own library's services. I've also had the opportunity to attend STARS-sponsored programs and discussion groups and am first to know about all the great STARS offerings through member notices and listserv announcements.



9. What are you reading?

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett



10. Share your favorite fun fact about yourself

Before becoming a librarian, I was the Event Manager at a performing arts facility where I got to see amazing speakers and performers like Salman Rushdie, Michael Moore, Shawn Colvin, and Lily Tomlin.