Kristin Williams
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Disciplined, approachable, motivated.
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I'm currently reading "Ace of Vice" by Deepti Kapoor and listening to loads of podcasts!
Connecting, relevant, inspiring.
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I value the connection with other librarians in similar positions. I also learn a lot from the various publications and professional development opportunities.
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I see my role as being about creating connections. The Library has excellent tools and resources available to students, faculty, staff, and the community but those tools are resources are meaningless if users don't understand how they connect with their goals. Integrating the Library’s print and digital resources, research instruction, and other resources into campus events enhances the events, highlights how relevant the resources are, and demonstrates the value of Library resources to the college. The library is also an important part of connecting online students to campus life. Building these kinds of connections is the focus of our work here.
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As I'm writing this I'm struggling to find words about life as an academic librarian. We're being asked to stretch already too-thin budgets and making do with never ending staff shortages. Here in Oregon, the lack of licensed school librarians is a crisis and students come to community college with very little, if any, experience using a library. Our task isn't just information literacy instruction, it's to convince them (and sometimes their instructors) that they don't already have the skills they need! Sometimes it feels too daunting. But some days I'll have a one-on-one consultation with a student or I'll have a one shot session with a particularly engaged class and it reminds me why I do this. Connecting with students and being part of their academic successes are the best parts of this job.
Credentials:she/her, MA, MLS
Title:Director, Library and Learning Hub
Workplace:Blue Mountain Community College
Location:Pendleton, OR