Dear APT Committee,
When I started at The College at Brockport in July of 2012, I arrived as a fresh MLS graduate with only a short stint as a public librarian under my belt. Over this past year and a half, I have grown by leaps and bounds both personally and professionally through the opportunities provided to me by both the College and the Drake Memorial Library. I believe that my portfolio is evidence of this growth and successfully demonstrates my achievements as a librarian.
My duties at the Drake Memorial Library are as unique as my job title, the Systems and Assessment Librarian. As Systems Librarian, I quickly learned the ropes of the Aleph integrated library system and have markedly increased my skills in its operation. Soon my duties expanded beyond Aleph and I have undertaken a number or projects and collaborations with library staff. These efforts have been supported by a variety of webinars, conferences and online courses that I have attended to continuously develop and maintain a myriad of skills. I have worked to develop policy, logistics and management of the Tech Tools collection and 3D printer services. A particular point of personal satisfaction has been my success in the development and management of the library’s collection of iPads. While easy to manage as a personal device, the obstacles of adapting them to a circulating library collection have been difficult. However, with satisfaction I am able to say that their management and use has been a success. Bringing both my systems and assessment roles together, I created and continue to improve upon the Drake Memorial Library Statistics Dashboard, which allows library staff to access numerous metrics from a single point which separately would be prohibitive to obtain.
None of these efforts would have been possible without the help of the great people who work at the Drake Memorial Library. My colleagues have made it easy for me to develop positive and rewarding relationships that have directly contributed to my success.
I have also excelled in my scholarship, research and creative work. My greatest and most rewarding achievement to date has been in the role of Librarian Team Leader as part of ACRL’s Assessment in Action Program. Selected from one of 75 libraries nationwide, our task has been to create our own actionable assessment project and to collaborate with others outside of the library to critically evaluate library services and help foster a culture of assessment across campus. I am also pleased to report that I will be presenting at two sessions during the upcoming SUNYLA conference in Albany followed by a poster presentation at the ALA annual conference in Las Vegas. I also have put my artistic skills to use using Photoshop and other programs to create numerous flyers, ads and graphics for use in a variety of ads, posters and websites promoting library services.
In addition to librarianship and scholarship, I have also had the privilege to serve the library, the College, the community and the profession. I have been active on a number of library committees, including the Tech Tools, Discovery Layer and 3D printer committees. A personal highpoint has been the honor of serving as a librarian representative for the Giant READ program where student athletes visit a Rochester city school to read to underprivileged children. Beyond the library, I have also been active on the College’s Veterans Day committee and I have served in the role of webcast technician for a number of campus events. This has been instrumental in experiencing the efforts of faculty, students and staff across campus and has opened potential opportunities to collaborate with faculty members in future projects. I was also a 2013 recipient of the Sylvia Chu Memorial Scholarship Award sponsored by SUNYLA.
Looking back on my time the College at Brockport, I am humbled by the experiences and opportunities that I have been afforded. I hope these experiences are only the beginning of a bright future serving as the Systems and Assessment Librarian at the Drake Memorial Library and that my efforts are worthy of recommendation of reappointment and promotion to Senior Assistant Librarian.