Can you tell us a bit about your background? How did you first become involved in the information profession? I was an Information Systems undergrad and went into the benefits consulting world right out of college.  I did some programming and systems analysis which helped grow my problem solving and listening skills and eventually moved up into a project manager role. I also learned a lot of healthcare rules and regulations and came to appreciate all the hard work that happens behind the scenes to support a benefits annual enrollment every year.

What prompted your choice of a career? I was wanting to go back to graduate school to become a teacher and instead I found the library science programs.  When I think about my childhood, the library was the one place that I enjoyed going back to again and again.  And it turned out that library science was a good fit for my interests and has allowed me to continue to learn every day

What kind of libraries have you worked in throughout your career? I’ve been in special libraries my whole career, but during graduate school I thought I would end up in an academic library.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out as information professional? Get involved in your local chapter and network with other librarians.  If you are fortunate to attend a SLA conference

Why did you become involved with SLA? I joined SLA (and ALA) as a student, because I didn’t know what kind of library I would end up in after graduate school.  I moved to the DC area after getting my degree and was fortunate to volunteer with a very active and supportive SLA chapter.  I joined the DC/SLA programming committee and helped to plan the chapter’s monthly events.  Being active at the local chapter level or at the national level helps you learn more about how SLA works and the challenges that other chapters or librarians are facing around the country.

 What reasons would you give other professionals for joining SLA? For taking an active role in SLA at some level? Keep an eye out for a call for volunteers and say yes!  Look for opportunities to expand your skills or gain new ones that you might not be able to get in your day job. A former colleague of mine became the chapter treasurer because she was looking for budgeting experience that she couldn’t get in her day job.

What do you wish you had learned in graduate school? What is the most important thing you learned? Data visualizations is one skill that I wish I could have learned more about in graduate school.  Being able to explain data sets in an easy way is becoming more and more important.

What will be the most important skills librarians will need as they move into the future? Be adaptable and willing to learn.  Our profession is always evolving and changing which is a challenge for all of us to stay current and up-to-date.  With all the change in technology, perceptions of libraries and services offered, it is important to remember that sharing our love of reading, technology or information needs is still the same no matter the format.   

What do you like to do outside of the information professional world?  With multiple small children, my hobbies are limited these days.  Singing classical music, watching baseball and taking long walks have occupied me in the past.

Is there a cool project or particular part of your job that you really like and can share? I’ve been using my project management skills to help lead a cross-unit team to identify new software to manage our award process.  We’ve been using the current software for 20+ years and it has been interesting to learn the day-to-day workflow of how we manage the process currently.  It took us a few months to get a set of high-level requirements and capture the current workflow as well as find the “pain” points that we want the new software to address.  For me this project has been like a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle and I’ve enjoyed putting all the pieces together.

What is the best book or article you’ve read recently that you would recommend to others? I’m a working mom and have found the only way to read books these days is to listen to them.  As You Wish by Cary Elwes and Hungry Heart by Jennifer Weiner are two of my recommendations for audiobooks

Please sign up via Signup Genius (click here for link) if you are planning to go. I’ll send more information to those of you who sign up as we get closer to the event.

At the National Humanities Center

Thursday, June 29, 12:00 – 4:00 pm

NCSLA members (and students) $5; non-NCSLA members $15. Lunch will be included with registration.

Are you interested in learning about information tools that other librarians have used and found to be valuable and time-saving? Would you like to hear about new information tools and how some librarians are using them?

Join us as we have round table discussions, short presentations and demos around information tools we all use and find helpful in our daily work – we will discuss tools for data visualization, project and request management, big data, metadata and other topics of interest.

Come learn about Canva, Tableau, R, Python, IBM Watson, Quid, SmartSheet, Quosa, and more!

After completing the registration survey, click the Paypal button below to pay for your registration.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all there!

May 17 (9:30 – 3:00) – Present Like a Pro – Presentation Skills at Any Stage (professional development session sponsored by the Library Administration and Management Section of NCLA)

May 20 (2:00 – 4:00 p.m.) – Design & Wine Series: NC State Campus Art Tour (hosted by Friends of the Library)

May 25 (5:30 p.m.) – NCSLA networking dinner at Mez (RSVP to susan.b.craft@gmail.com)

Also – SAVE THE DATE for these events in June:

June 19 (6:45 p.m.) – NCSLA Happy Hour at Hanny’s in downtown Phoenix

June 29 – Information Tools Roundtable event at the National Humanities Center ]]> http://ncarolina.sla.org/2017/05/05/may-events-and-ncsla-happy-hour-in-phoenix/feed/ 0 http://ncarolina.sla.org/2017/04/25/recap-nc-symphony-library-tour-rehearsal/ http://ncarolina.sla.org/2017/04/25/recap-nc-symphony-library-tour-rehearsal/#respond Tue, 25 Apr 2017 20:52:53 +0000 http://ncarolina.sla.org/?p=2694 NCSLA had a great time attending a rehearsal and library tour at the NC Symphony last week. We had 18 members attend! Keep checking back for more events like this throughout the year.

Deb Nelson, Principal Orchestra Librarian, and Janice McLaughlin, Senior Assistant Librarian, gave an incredibly interesting and informative tour of the library and how it serves the symphony.

Here are some things we learned:

• MOLA (Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association) is the professional association they belong to.
• Most Principal Orchestra Librarians are also trained musicians (Deb is a timpanist)
• Symphony libraries assist with the extensive markings that have to be made on the music (to indicate bowing direction, etc.) so that all of the symphony members are playing the piece consistently. These markings have to be made in pencil so that if a change needs to be made quickly, they are able to do so.
• There is a network of symphony libraries that help with last-minute emergencies – for example, if the 3^rd page of the 1^st trumpet part is missing.
• Symphony libraries work with publishers and agents (Boosey & Hawkes or G. Schirmer, for example) to acquire and rent pieces that the symphony will play.

This last event (the panel) is a newly added event – the students would like to hear from a variety of librarians and information professionals working in law libraries, museums, the EPA and other government settings, etc. If you would be willing to be on this panel to present a little bit about your background and your job and answer questions, please let me know! You can respond to this post or email me directly at susan.b.craft@gmail.com

See below for the full calendar,which includes other SLA and library events. As always, please chime in with anything I’ve forgotten that will be of interest to us!

April 2-4 – SLA-PHT in Philadelphia (Who all is going? I’ll be there!)

April 3 (12:00 – 1:00 p.m.) – SLA Webinar: Career Transitions for Librarian

April 5 (6:00 – 7:30 p.m.) – LinkedIn workshop at UNC-SILS, Manning Hall room 30

April 6 (7:30 – 9:00 p.m.) – NC Science Festival kickoff: An Evening with Astronaut James Lovel

April 12 (6:00 p.m.) – Networking dinner in Charlotte at Mama Ricotta’s, hosted by Joyce Weaver (RSVP to joyce.weaver@mintmuseum.org by Monday, April 10

April 18 (7:00-9:00 p.m.) – Symphony rehearsal and library tour

April 19 (5:30 – 7:00 p.m.) – NCSLA Panel at UNC hosted by UNC SLA students, Manning Hall room 30

April 19 – NCLA GRS webinar: NOAA data and doc

April 21 (6:00 – 9:00 p.m.) – NC Science Festival State of the Sciences at Hunt Library

April 24 (7:00 – 8:00 p.m.) – Read Smart Book Discussion at Cameron Village Regional Library: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (hosted by Dr. Sarah Cannon, edTPA Coordinator and English education instructor in the College of Education at NC State

April 29 – National Independent Bookstore Day

March 22 at 11:30 – lunch at Harvest 18 in Durham (RSVP to susan.b.craft@gmail.com)

March 28 at 5:30 – dinner at Sawasdee in Chapel Hill (RSVP via this Google form)

March 29 at 5:45 – dinner at Tribeca Tavern in Cary (RSVP to nicole.n.duggins@gmail.com)

March 30 at 5:30 – networking event at Christ Church United Methodist Church in Greensboro, NC (no RSVP required, bring your own snacks or supper – drinks will be provided)

April 12  at 6:00 – dinner at Mama Ricotta’s in Charlotte (RSVP to joyce.weaver@mintmuseum.org)

We have a limited amount of “seats” for this event, so please go ahead and sign up via Signup Genius (click here for link) if you are planning to go (and if you sign up but later realize you can’t go, please let me know). It’s going to be a great event! We are planning some other cool library tours this year, so if you miss this one, be on the lookout for other announcements.

LinkedIn has become a vital resource for finding employment opportunities. Many companies and recruiters use LinkedIn to source and attract applicants for open positions in their organizations. Increasingly, employers are researching applicants on LinkedIn before deciding to interview or hire them. Even if you are not actively seeking new employment, LinkedIn can lead to new opportunities that you may have never considered. NCSLA is pleased to present a hands-on workshop on creating an effective profile in LinkedIn. The session will be led by Laura Fu who will be assisted by other knowledgeable NCSLA members.

In this workshop you will learn:

• How to create a professional LinkedIn profile
• How to use your profile to effectively network online and in person
• How to “passively” job search and indicate openness to new opportunities

Please bring your laptop or other personal device in order to participate fully in this event. You will be able to get immediate feedback on your existing profile or assistance in creating a new profile from scratch. Also, you will be able to ask questions and get answers about what has worked and not worked for others who have created their profiles.

Refreshments will be provided.

Denise Jones