What made you decide to pursue a Library Science degree?

In the 1990’s as an undergraduate student I worked at the libraries of the University of Wisconsin Madison. I loved the variety of work, my wonderful co-workers and especially helping the patrons. Through the years I worked many customer service type jobs and eventually had the opportunity to apply for and work at the WKU libraries as a staff member. Not long after I started the job, I realized I wanted to learn how to do my job better and increase the responsibilities and duties that I could take on so I investigated going to library school.

What made you decide to pursue that degree at UK and how did you learn about our program?

I had a friend who just finished the program and spoke fondly of his experience. I was interested in going somewhere close so I could at least theoretically visit the faculty and the administrators in person if I needed to. The biggest deciding factor was finding out that I was able to use WKU’s tuition waiver program to pay for much of the cost of tuition.

What is your focus in Library Science?

A few of my classes, specifically ones with Dr. Oltmann increased my interest and knowledge about social justice and equity. I look forward to working on those issues in the library and campus wide in my new role as Open Educational Resources librarian. I believe OER and Open Pedagogy offer many opportunities to address affordability, access, and the diversity of voices in academia.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan to work with the state-wide consortium of OER librarians to increase adoption and interest of OER. I look forward to becoming part of the scholarly conversation at conferences and helping to make a difference for the students of WKU and the state of Kentucky.

Do you have any advice for current or future LIS students?

My best experiences in library school at UK came from group projects and spending time getting to know and work with my classmates. Do a practicum or internship if you can. Present at a conference or at least attend one as a student.