The end of the Spring semester is a nightmare for academics most of the time, and it was especially so this year as I was finishing out my 1st full year at Paul Smith’s College and planning to conference the last week of the semester. Between visiting students in the residence halls, staffing the main […]
Category: Higher education
Saying Thank You: A Post-Interview Essential
In the last few weeks, we’ve been interviewing for an evening Reference Librarian position, and it got me thinking about my own grueling job search, not so long ago! I remember stressing out about how much stuff I had to get together: update my CV to highlight what the posting is asking for, re-write my cover […]
Why librarians make great mentors
I was asked last May if I would be interested in being a mentor for an incoming freshman at my institution, and I quickly said yes yes yes. In fact, last academic year, I was supposed to, but things fell through. So, I jumped on the opportunity this time and got in contact with my protege […]
Fall semester is here again!
Holy crap – is it really the first day of the semester? This summer has flown by, and I’m still sitting here in the dust. Luckily, having 6 weeks off for maternity allowed me some time outside of the workplace, but now that I’m back full-force, it’s still taking my body (and brain) a bit […]
From the Desk: Handout for Academic Departments
Wow, it’s Wednesday already and students are unloading their trucks and moving in as I write this. As you can imagine, we are very busy getting everything together for those students, but on this edition of From the Desk, I want to share a handout I made for writing instructors on what the library can do […]
Library Marketing & Outreach- Texas Style
There is a new ACRL interest group called Library Marketing and Outreach (ACRL_LMAO), formed at ALA in Vegas by Virginia Alexander and Adam Haigh. I was lucky enough to get in touch with them to volunteer as a Texas representative and I’m excited to get some of these marketing meet-ups going. If you’re in Texas, you […]
On motherhood and academic librarianship
I have 2 beautiful girls. At home, they expect me to play with them and cuddle them, and while I do that (I love to do that)- I am also thinking about the next thing I need to write, the next deadline for that upcoming book chapter, or what I could be doing to keep […]
An open letter to my students
Dear students– Today’s class was really a lecture on helping you help yourselves. I can only do so much as an instructor, but you have to put the time and effort into your coursework. You are the only person that can control the direction of your education – you get out what you put into […]
Why I value the Texas Library Association
After driving 8 hours from annual assembly in Austin to my home here in the Panhandle, I thought it might be a good idea to write a post on why I value the Texas Library Association. Of course, this isn’t as easy as it sounds because it all starts with a little history. I began […]
Texas Library Association Conference 2013
This year is my first year attending the Texas Library Association annual conference, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts and notes. Prior to attending the conference, I learned that I was elected Chair-Elect of the College & University Library Division of TLA and I begin my official appointment 4/27/13. This means I […]