The Library Society Of The World

Hi all. I'm the Humanities Librarian at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. I'm married with two kids, and keeping up with them takes up much of my time away from work.

I got into library work in about 1995 on the staff of the University of Delaware library in Newark. After a few years of that, I was ready to join the glamorous professional ranks, and headed off to Austin in 1998 to get a Master's in Library Science (or whatever they call it) at UT.

At the time I wanted to be a special collections/rare book librarian, and that is still an important interest of mine. Out of library school, though, we moved to San Diego for my wife's job and I ended up at the Science and Engineering Library at UCSD for a few years.

http://stevelawson.name/seealso/
http://librarycampwest.pbwiki.com/

From there I moved to my present job in 2003. I love working closely with the students and faculty at this small residential college.

I'm interested in how the web and social software and all that stuff is changing libraries, education, and the culture in general. Aside from technology, I'm trying to find new ways of understanding how students research and write papers.

It's not overstating things to say that the Library Society of the World has changed my life (mostly for the better, I think!), and I'm bullish on small, self-forming groups and associations. My experience with the LSW has lead to my work on the Library Camp of the West, an unconference that will take place in Denver on October 10, 2008.

I'm Colleen S. Harris. A lot of folks call me Colleen, some call me by my online moniker 'WarMaiden,' a few college friends call me Gigi, and some others call me Roadhouse. I answer to all of those and the occasional "hey, lady." I'm a reference and instruction librarian at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I enjoy reference desking, I like spending money on collection development, but my true love is being in the classroom and teaching. I reel 'em in with my cool tattoos, and they leave bewildered by thesauri and advanced search techniques. *grin* I'm hoping to focus my research agenda and activities on reaching underskilled undergrads, and figuring out how academic libraries can play a larger role in student retention.

I love writing, and am a published poet. I'm also addicted to school, and am currently working on my MFA in creative writing and my MA in literature, after which I will likely apply for the EdD program. When I'm not doing homework, writing, or librarianating, I spend my time being bossed around by my basset hound Otto, who is the love of my life. When I can catch the time, I am also a voracious reader of poetry and fiction, and harbor a particular love for Tom Clancy.

Heya, I'm Meg Smith (a.k.a. Margaret Smith, if I'm feeling all fancy and professional). I'm the Physical Sciences Librarian at NYU, so I do reference/instruction/collections/liaison-naise for physics/chemistry/geology/math and whatever crazy science/culture stuff the kids throw at me. Mostly I love reference, though (doing it, thinking/writing about it and playing with it). One of my current research interests is collaborative/community/interactive reference, and how to helpfully aggregate the tacit/hidden knowledge of both librarypeople and users.

I'm in library school too, just starting my second year in the distance program at Syracuse University. Consequently, I pretty much breathe and dream libraries (not at all in a bad way).

Outside of Libraryland, I like to cook/eat mexican food and drink beer/margaritas (I'm from Houston, TX), jog in the BEAUTIFUL Prospect Park near my house, go on roadtrips with my lovely sister, and do/see bizarre music/art/film. I like trains, bees, and metafilter. I use a lot of parentheses and slashes, and I would use more if I thought I could get away with it.

I think that's it. It's nice to meet you!

Hello! I'm Katy Southern, a grad student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I'm not a librarian but I study libraries. Yeah, that's right, I'm studying you! I'm working on a double degree - I finished the MA in LIS in 2006 and I hope to complete my dissertation in Composition and Rhetoric by this December. Needless to say, I don't have a life and my brain hurts on a regular basis.

My dissertation examines the writing of progressive era librarians working with immigrant populations through literacy programs and Americanization programs. I focus on practitioner journals like Library Journal, Public Libraries, Wisconsin Library Bulletin, etc. I'm also interested in the connections between information literacy pedagogy and writing pedagogy, the way information literacy can be integrated with writing curricula, etc. Oh, and I work with children's and young adult literature sometimes, too. Like I said, I don't have a life.

I'm also interested in all sorts of issues related to libraries - I like to learn.

I seem to be the only one from UK so far so thought I'd start the ball rolling!

My name is Jo Alcock, although as can be seen in the title I blog as Joeyanne Libraryanne and go by the name of Joeyanne on most services (Twitter, delicious, LibraryThing...).

I'm technically not a librarian yet (let's not go into that debate again!); I'm just coming to the end of the taught part of my Masters and will be hopefully starting my dissertation in the next few weeks/months. I'm a distance learner (at Aberystwyth) and also work full time at a UK academic library in Wolverhampton (the Midlands).

I am particularly interested in new technologies and how they can be utilised in academic libraries, and also aspects of e-learning and mobile learning.

In my spare time, apart from studying, I enjoy spending time with my boyfriend and our two kittens, and we also occasionally go off roading.

I'm Jill S. Jarrell, the Senior Librarian for Teen Services with the Pikes Pikes Library District in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I got my MLS degree at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I have a hard time keeping my sarcasm and derision to a dull roar. Also, I think of myself as a bad-ass and then I hear myself on audio or see myself on video and realize that I'm pretty prissy. I like getting my way and have thrown more temper tantrums at PPLD than I ever have in my entire life and when I say temper tantrums I mean crying and throwing bean bags around the teen center. When I was a teen-ager people told me that I was very mature for my age. I think I'm regressing. I blame it on the daily interaction with middle school students... and my husband. He loves potty humor and now, so do I.

I'm Steve Kaye, aka The Corporate Librarian. Yes, I know, there are plenty of others, but I jumped on the blog name first.

I'm currently a contractor for Novarica, which is a part of Novantas. Which people also haven't heard of, so let me just say I work for a company which provides technology advice to insurers. insurance software vendors and consultants to insurers. It's a three-month gig which will hopefully turn into a full-time job with sweet sweet benefits.

I've worked for consulting firms in various capacities for about fifteen years now, doing a combination of knowledge management and research.

With Stephen Francoeur and Rachel Watstein (who did most of the work, honestly), I organized Library Camp NYC. That's pretty much it for any claim to being one of the cool kids.

I'm Sia Stewart, director of a small public library in Southeastern Massachusetts. I've been here for 17 years and could well be here until retirement. Never an end to challenges and things to learn and do. I love my staff, I have a great board of trustees, I love the community, and I have deep family roots in this town. Before this I was the director of an even smaller library in Western Massachusetts, where I did pretty much everything, sometimes with the help of one part-time staffer and a couple of volunteers. Before that, well, that was another life.

Went to Simmons for my MLS, finished in 1987. No more formal education for me, but I am having the time of my life learning through the social web. Starting to bring some of this into my own library through new ways of doing things and encouraging staff to investigate and try things and make mistakes and learn.

My 32-year-old daughter got married last week, and I'm thrilled. My 17-year-old stepson has one more year of high school. And my 2 semi-feral cats are settling in. Life is good.

...if he hadn't pecha-kucha-ed LSW at our Library Camp yesterday, I would never have known about this fine cabal of library folks.

I'm Lynn Hoffman, Information Services Coordinator at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, IN. I've worn all kinds of public library hats over the last decade, including children's librarian, and branch manager, but I'm liking my current quasi-made-up job, because I'm the one who gets to say what my job is.

I'm generally good-natured, inquisitive and generous, except when it comes to candy. I tend toward serial obsessive-compulsive behavior, particularly in regard to hobbies: currently knitting, previously running. Subsequently, I know a lot about the object of my obsession-du-jour and I am compelled to share said knowledge with everyone I meet, whether they like it or not.

I'm Katherine Mitchell. I go by Kathy outside of the library, but Katherine at the library, since there are 3 other Kathy's who work there too. I go by Bookslinger most everywhere on the internet where I have a username. I have been an Associate Reference Librarian at Muncie Public Library for 5 years, aka almost the same job as the one with a degree but not the same pay. Hoping to start going to work on getting my MLS soon, as I have found this is definitely the career for me. I supervise ILL and work on the ref desk. I admit I love my job, which really helps out on those days you want to run away screaming (lol)

I am a single mother (okay, divorced but far enough away to say single now) and I have five wonderful children ranging from 12 to 6. Translated that means I work my 40 hr/wk job at the library and then I go to my other job, which is the rest of my time & much more exhausting than library work. I enjoy reading (duh), biking, speed-walking, watching Heroes, The Office, Ugly Betty, Stargate Atlantis.

Since there are so many of us :) My name is Laura Solomon, and I'm the Library Services Manager for OPLIN (Ohio Public Library Information Network). Mostly, I do web development. My interests include competitive Irish dance (yes, like Riverdance), Second Life, biking and spending time with my husband and 4-year-old son.

Hello everybody.

I'm Marianne Aldrich, Circulation Services Coordinator at Tutt Library, Colorado College, in Colorado Springs - which lengthy title mostly means I look after our legion of student circ workers, do reserves & e-reserves for professors, work the circ desk, and even occasionally do some shelf-reading (my secret favorite of all library tasks). I also help out with the odd reference question on Friday nights when the library is otherwise quiet as crickets. Among other things, I'm currently working on sharpening my advisory skills since I get a lot of questions about what the students should do for fun; I apparently look like the kind of person who really enjoys reading books and watching movies. (Sometimes, you *can* judge a book by its cover!)

While my mom was a librarian who had me shelving from the age of 7, I originally started out with no intentions of working in libraries; my undergrad degree (from McGill University in Montreal) is in Biology, and after college I spent several years managing a used bookstore. I've lived in the Springs for almost ten years, & been married to my husband for almost-ten-years-minus-four-days. We (and our 3.5 cats) live walking distance from CC campus, and I've been at Tutt Library for about a year. So far, it's my favorite job EVER, and I'm dipping my toes in the maybe-I-should-be-an-MLS'd-librarian-someday pool.

Other things about me: I walk almost everywhere, and otherwise fill my days with media consumption, keeping in touch with friends & family, cross-stitching, kitten-taming, playing the saxophone, and getting into fun & silly arguments with people who are smarter than I am. Just lately, people keep showing up at my house to play Rock Band, so I've been doing a lot of that as well.

I was reminded about LSW at the Library Camp of the West today, and thought, "OH YEAH! I forgot about wanting to sign up for that!" So here I am.

I am Alison Steinberg I work as the Online Services Librarian at San Diego Mesa College. It is a new position and is incorporating all things online that are not OPAC or database driven. More specifically I am redesigning the website, administrating our new 24/7 reference service, working on a chat widget, creating online tutorials and blah dih dee virtual blah blah. It is the best job ever!

I am also a full time EdD student in education technology through Pepperdine University. It is a hybrid online program which is good because I am not moving from my fabulous San Diego where I may never afford a house but man the view is awesome from my apartment.

In my free time (which is carefully scheduled) I enjoy Muay Thai kickboxing (the national sport of Thailand, you didn't know?), spending time with my mom, friends and oh so wonderful boyfriend. I wish I could say I ride my Harley but it is unfortunately gathering dust in the garage, I just can't do it all, sigh.

Greetings from Sunny Southern California.
I'm a Norma Layton, Library Assistant at a Medical Library and colloborate with the Continuing Education Department.
My first job was at a local branch library when I was 18th and I've gather knowledge ever since.
I recently became the computer guru and web content manager and collaborator for a newly created website to assist doctors in viewing missed conferences. Fun stuff. We also looking to podcast for our intranet so any ideas you all have I'd love to hear.

Hi, I found this group on LinkedIn and came over today to see the real deal. I work for a company that works for libraries, so lucky me, I get to go to libraries all over the world. I'm based in Utah but am probably more likely to meet you in London... or Sydney... or Chicago...

Looking forward to the interesting things you will have to say.

Cheerio, Maritta

Hi all, I’m a web designer running my own forum and marketplace and I have a knack for experimenting with something new. I’m also part of the librarian society in my school located in University of Singapore and I dedicated most of my time helping around and getting thing properly catalogued.

web designer tutorial

Hi, I am a library student in the great state of Kansas -- hence the username. I have about a year to go in my program, when I hope to join Libraryland for real. In the meantime, I am taking a brief break from editing technical magazines to try to finish up my MLS and move into a public library in the Kansas City metro area somewhere. With two good library programs within a hour or two of the area it could be tough, but I'm staying optimistic.:) In between studying for my two summer classes, I enjoy reading; playing on Facebook; watching the Discovery channel; playing with my beagle mix, Abby; planning a trip to Florida; and networking online at linkedIn (visit my page at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/laura-dixon/13/482/6ab), which is where I found out about this cool site!

Hello all! I'm Teri Alexander, the Circulation & Facilities Manager at Cooper Library, Clemson University in Clemson, SC. Home of the Tigers and aspiring to reach the Top 20 in Public Universities. We'll see, won't we?

Looking forward to becoming more familiar with the LSW!