Current place of employment and position 

I work at Concordia University of Wisconsin in Mequon as the Instruction, Reference, and Research Support Librarian.

Projects/programs/achievements

I'm the only person with my type of position at my University, and I handle all instruction and research support for online and in-person students and for both undergraduate and graduate studies. I manage all of the online research guides and tutorial videos (which I'm currently in the process of overhauling). I also take on most of the research-based reference inquiries that come in. I have had great success with helping graduate students (MBA and Ed PhDs mostly), especially students who have come back to school after years or decades spent in the workforce. I love helping them learn about all of the new tech advances that help with research! They are always amazed by things like zotero or the linking capabilities of google scholar, and it's always a joy to work with them.

Impacts you are making in the field of Library and Information Science 

Again, I don't know if I'm making any big impacts so far. I'm mostly just trying to figure out how to be a librarian, and how to help students in the most effective ways. It's definitely a process of always learning and improving! 

Experience in the St. Kate’s MLIS program

I really really loved my experience at St. Kates. I met some great friends who I still keep in touch with. I also got great experience both in my classes (learning how to create libguides or to develop a comprehensive marketing plan for example) and out of class. During the program, I worked as a research assistant and copy editor for Professor Dahlen (before she left) during which time I really honed the research skills I now use every day at my job. I also worked as one of the Research Graduate Assistants within the St. Kate's library where I gained the on-the-fly reference skills that are absolutely necessary for my job now. 

Current place of employment and position. 

I am currently the Public Services Supervisor at the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, a rare books collection at the University of Minnesota. This position is officially classified as a Library Assistant 3 role, meaning that I am a labor-represented paraprofessional. My work duties include: supervising student workers; assisting with research appointments, reference consultations, and instructional sessions; planning outreach events and exhibitions; coordinating facilities and collections maintenance; processing new acquisitions; and participating in any number of other projects that happen in and around the collection. 

What do you enjoy most about your current position? 

My favorite part of the job is planning and designing pop-up exhibits! The library is in a hallway of the U's health sciences complex, and lots of people walk past us every day. A year ago we started doing pop-up exhibits to encourage passersby to come take a look at the collection, and thanks to some early success, we are now doing 2-3 per semester. These pop-ups give me a chance to explore new areas of the collection that I'm not as familiar with, get creative with themes and design elements, and do my very favorite thing: browse the stacks and see what I can find! 

How do you feel you impact your community? 

We teach a lot of undergraduate instructional sessions, where a class will visit for just a single session. Most students wouldn't think that they'd find rare books all that interesting, so it is so awesome to see them start to come alive over the course of their session. I like to think that we are instilling a curiosity about history and an awareness that the historical record does not tell the whole story. 

List any projects you are a part of, favorite programs offered, any achievements. 

I am proud of the work I've done with our exhibit space. Over a year and a half in this role, I have curated or co-curated three exhibits for our main exhibit cases, and I am currently working on my fourth. Exhibits are an important part of outreach and demonstrating our value, and I always enjoy talking to visiting groups and tours about what is in our cases. 

List any goals you have for the future in the field or what you hope to see progress further. 

In the future, I hope to shift from an assistant role to a curatorial role. I can't think of anything more fulfilling than developing and stewarding a special collections library and finding new ways of sharing amazing materials!

How has the St. Kate’s MLIS program helped prepare you for your role? 

The mentorship from Heather Carroll has been essential to my success. Her encouragement to pursue my true passion helped me feel confident that the Archives and Special Collections Pathway was the right choice for me, and she has helped me find networking opportunities to create a professional community and learn from my peers. 

What was your favorite part of the MLIS program? 

My favorite part of the MLIS program was taking Preservation Management. I loved learning extremely practical skills for disaster preparedness and collections maintenance, and almost immediately, I was able to make use of what I learned in my job at the Wangensteen!

What do you think the MLIS program could incorporate into their program for the future? 

I think it would be worthwhile to include a History of the Book class in the course offerings again. For anyone on the Archives and Special Collections Pathway, it is essential knowledge, and there is so much exciting scholarly work that is happening right now in book history and material culture studies. 

Current place of employment and position

Minnesota Legislative Reference Library – Information Analyst II. I’m the cataloger and a reference librarian.

What do you enjoy most about your current position? 

Every day is different, and I learn something new every day. Whether it is something new about our collection, library, cataloging, or the state of Minnesota. I also work with some truly amazing people with a vast knowledge of librarianship and Minnesota history.

How do you feel you impact your community? 

The LRL is a nonpartisan, confidential research and information office for the Minnesota Legislature, and I feel like we’re an important part of the legislative process. We provide legislators and staff with unbiased, confidential, and thorough research and reference materials. I feel like what I do and the information we collect is important to tracking part of Minnesota history.

List any projects you are a part of, favorite programs offered, any achievements. 

I am the cataloger and one of the unique things I get to do is A LOT of original cataloging. It’s fun to see the wide range of Minnesota reports that come across my desk.

List any goals you have for the future. 

I’ve been eyeing a cataloging certificate through Library Juice Academy. 

How has the St. Kate’s MLIS program helped prepare you for your role? 

Two things:

1. Everyone in library school said networking. They aren’t wrong! Participate in volunteer opportunities, student groups, attend tours and panels, go to the local networking events, and look for internship or job opportunities. Attending this program helped me connect with the library community here in the Twin Cities and led to several opportunities that eventually led to my current employment.

2. I met a friend and colleague in library school, and she had a goal to apply every assignment to a real-world problem. She mentioned this goal to me in our intro course and I kept it in the back of my head throughout library school. Every time a professor had a project or paper in mind, I tried to think of something that would help me in my career or help me learn more about the community I would be entering. We partnered a lot on projects together and I really appreciated that piece of advice because it made every project we worked on more impactful.

What was your favorite part of the MLIS program? 

There are so many things. Participating in the Special Libraries Association student group had one of the largest impacts. We went on tours, participated in panels, and I got to attend the National Conference which opened my eyes to even more special library opportunities. Also, as a student member, I was able to connect and network with librarians in the Minnesota community which led to internships and job opportunities. 

What do you think the MLIS program could incorporate into their program for the future? 

I would have loved a course dedicated to digital accessibility.

Current place of employment and position

I am currently an Asset Librarian in the Corporate Archives at Target. In that role I support enterprise needs for historical research, fact validation, legal evidence & creative inspiration- I’m one part archivist, one part research librarian, & one part Target ambassador. 

What do you enjoy most about your current position? 

I enjoy the variety of work I get to do- I get a peak at many different areas of the enterprise, collect a variety of materials and material types for the collections, and facilitate some really fun experiences.  

List any projects you are a part of, favorite programs offered, or any achievements. 

Some of my favorite projects that I have been involved with at my tenure with Target include helping to bring significant anniversaries for brands to life, historical research for publications (my first credit in a book!) creative marketing tie-ins for television shows (we provided assets to help recreate historically accurate Target stores) & working with external partners to help reimagine the historic Dayton’s department store space in downtown Minneapolis. 

How has the St. Kate’s MLIS program helped prepare you for your role? 

I am most proud of the work I have done implementing archival best practices while being flexible and responsive to the needs of a fast-paced corporate environment, and have used much of the knowledge and many of the skills I learned in the program to do that well. The importance of the service-oriented nature of library and archival work was a valuable lesson as well, as much of the work I do even in a corporate setting is people work. 

What was your favorite part of the program? 

I most enjoyed and would highly recommend any and all internship opportunities to any current students! There is no substitute for face-to-face and hands-on in this field. My internships were invaluable and led me through experience and networking directly to where I am today.