For which library, institution, or organization are you currently employed?

I work at the Manitowoc Public Library of Manitowoc, Wisconsin as the Materials Department Librarian. My main duties include collection development and cataloging of all formats.

How many year(s) have you been a member of Wisconsin Library Association?

 I have been a member of WLA for 10 years.

Can you tell us more about the unit/division/roundtable/SIG that you are part of? What would you want WLA members to know about this group?

I started out as a Teen Librarian before heading into Technical Services and will always be a youth librarian at heart. I’m still a member of the Youth Services Section because it provides indispensable resources for staying current with youth trends and selecting youth materials for my library. A huge part of this is the excellent blog that the section maintains and the fantastic posts their members write covering a variety of topics.

 What has been your favorite or most impactful function or event of WLA?

 My favorite event of WLA has been the annual conference. I always enjoy the variety of presentations available and always come away with a new idea or ideas to possibly implement in my individual or departmental workflows.

How has being a member of WLA impacted you or your career?

I joined WLA upon relocating to Wisconsin without a job waiting. I had been a member of another state’s library association and I knew that it was the first and best step to take to work my way towards a position in a Wisconsin library. Since then I have had great opportunities to build my network of colleagues and to collaborate on projects and initiatives both locally and state-wide.

Do you have a library role model (in Wisconsin or elsewhere) that has provided you with inspiration or guidance? Please share a little bit about it.

 I’m originally from New England and worked towards my MLIS at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA. While I studied in Pittsburgh, I became very familiar with the main branch of the Carnegie Public Library in the Oakland neighborhood. I was thoroughly impressed with all this library offered from research resources to popular collections, and all ages programming. It gave me a high ideal of what to aspire towards in a library setting even keeping in mind that funding or facilities may be limited. Overall, I feel that everywhere that I have worked from a small liberal-arts college campus library, to a museum library and archives, to a public library has positively influenced my overall approach to library work. My time spent at these various institutions, with many amazing colleagues, built my unique professional knowledge which I enjoy sharing through continuing education opportunities and mentoring coworkers.

Have you worked on a project, program, or initiative that was rewarding? Tell us about it and what made it so rewarding. How did this impact your community or the library patrons?

The last year and a half I have been working with other catalogers and ILS administrators across the state as part of the Northern Waters and IFLS library systems’ LSTA Grant Cooperative Cataloging Project to create cataloging guidelines to standardize bibliographic records across the state to improve discovery. I am glad to be involved in this important work and have appreciated learning from my fellow catalogers and improving my own cataloging practices along the way.

Do you have any advice for new WLA members?

The best advice I can give is take advantage of everything made available to you whether continuing education or networking opportunities. You never know what interaction or association may open a door in your career whether it’s motivational for your current work or leads to another opportunity or step up in your career.