Introduction
I have reference experience with all ages, in both public and academic settings, in-person and virtual, in English and Spanish. I am lucky to have had the opportunity to develop a depth as well as breadth of experience. As a subject specialist in Business and Technology, then in Humanities, I was able to develop expertise in in-depth reference interactions with entrepreneurs, genealogists, local authors and historians, inventors, and many other adult patrons. As a children and teen librarian, both at a large downtown library and a bustling family branch, I’ve also had a chance to work extensively with youth of all ages. Of course, at a busy neighborhood branch I get to work with everybody! I continue to seek out new opportunities to serve a wider diversity of patrons, including underserved populations, patrons with disabilities, and patrons who do not speak English.
Reference Librarian, Milwaukee Public Library
Adult General and Subject Services (Central library), Children’s Services (Central library), and Children and Teen Services (branch library)
July 2010 – present
Competencies demonstrated:
- Treats users in a welcoming, professional manner and provides other staff with an example of positive customer service
- Acts as a goodwill ambassador for the library, promoting the library’s values and services in all user interactions
- Recognizes, honors and responds appropriately to diversity and cultural differences
- Deals with users’ concerns efficiently and effectively
- Maintains a calm, professional manner in difficult situations and applies effective communication techniques
- Contributes to a collaborative, committed and collegial work environment
- Demonstrates familiarity with the Library Bill of Rights and the ALA Code of Ethics, and articulates the relevance to library service
- Understands privacy issues and protects user confidentially
- Understands and promotes intellectual freedom and freedom of information
- Provides equitable services to all users
Working at several MPL desks and locations has given me the opportunity to hone my skills with a wide range of reference and readers’ advisory questions. In adult services, I provided reference via the Information Desk (the general reference / RA desk), subject specialty desks (Business and Humanities), online chat and email reference service, and telephone reference services. In children’s services at a the downtown library, I worked with children and teens, both individually and as classroom groups. Now, at a popular branch library, I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to improve my reference interactions by developing relationships with my regulars.
Whether helping a parent find SAT prep books for a high-achieving teen, conducting a reference interview to clarify the needs of a patron who “wants to see all the books about history”, or finding just the right book for a homeless patron to while away a chilly day, I find every aspect of this work rewarding. I’m always learning something new! I love exploring a challenging question with my coworkers, and both they and the library patrons are always helping me learn and grow. Even after a shift where I feel like every other questions was “why isn’t the printer working?” and “where’s the bathroom?”, I feel truly fulfilled knowing that I am helping to make the library a comfortable and safe environment for everybody. I consider my strengths to be patience, a sense of humor, a willingness to ask questions, and an unshakable devotion to intellectual freedom and information access which transcends my personal biases.
Spanish Virtual Reference (QuestionPoint chat), Milwaukee Public Library
October 2010 – June 2011
Competencies demonstrated:
- Identifies individuals and groups not currently served by the library, determines needs, develops programs and services, and promotes them to the non-users with targeted marketing
- Evaluates services and uses the results to improve future services
- Recognizes, respects and addresses the diverse nature of the library’s users and community
Bienvenidos! I was thrilled to be involved with developing a new service to reach our underserved Spanish-speaking population. It seems like there are very few Spanish-speaking librarians in Wisconsin, so I’m very grateful I had the skills to help launch this program! One of the most exciting things about this project is that I was involved in the early stages of planning. I discussed implementation and marketing strategies, inter-library collaboration, and resource sharing with my peers from around the state. With one other co-worker, I created a wiki to allow Wisconsin Spanish chat librarians to share Spanish-language online resources. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding this service was canceled not long after its launch, and was never heavily advertised. However, we learned so much in the process that will help us craft an even better service when funding improves.
9/11 10th Anniversary Booklists
September 2011
Competencies demonstrated:
- Creates booklists, read-alikes, read-arounds, book-talks, displays, electronic documents and other special tools to increase access to library resources and promote their use
- Provides a variety of readily accessible reference resources that meet identified community needs
- Develops strategies for additional funding sources
As part of the 9/11 memorial committee, I helped develop ideas for how to help our community cope with the difficult emotions and thoughts that might arise as we reflect back on a tragedy. One of the outcomes of this committee was the creation of a resource list for all ages. It is a guide to print and digital materials that engage with the event on many levels, from nonfiction analysis and history to personal narratives to poetry. By working with the nonfiction selectors, we ensured that multiple copies of these titles would be available for our patrons to revisit this historic moment in the way most resonant for them.
Information Specialist, Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology
March 2009 – December 2009
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Competencies demonstrated:
- Identifies the best kind of resource (print, database, Web) to use to offer assistance
- Provides search and retrieval of requested information and presents results that are clear and of appropriate scope
- Continues the reference interview process with users to refine the search or topic as appropriate
CSDE is an interdisciplinary academic center at the University of Washington. At CSDE, I provided virtual and in-person reference consultations with affiliated faculty members and doctoral students to inform grant requests, papers, and book chapters. Since affiliates came from a variety of academic fields, I explored many different reference resources, such as general and specialized academic databases, government publications, published monographs, and open Web materials.
I also conducted virtual reference interviews to make sure the information was tailored precisely to the needs of the patron. I clarified initially unclear requests, asked for feedback on the information provided to ensure it was appropriate and complete, and made sure to present the results in an easily understandable way. Finally, I assured the user that s/he could come to me with any further questions. This is a sample reference transaction, redacted to protect the privacy of the patron:
I also drew upon the expertise of my colleagues at the UW libraries. Here is an example of a reference referral which exhibited particularly strong communication between myself, my colleague, and the patron:
Children’s Services Directed Fieldwork, Seattle Public Library
March 2010 – June 2010
Competencies demonstrated:
- Facilitates children’s requests for information and provides accurate and appropriate answers
- Understands and practices effective reference interviewing skills particular to soliciting actual and unstated needs of children
Working on the reference desk at the Northeast branch, I spoke with a variety of patrons of all ages. However, providing reference for children directly was a new experience for me, so I’ve chosen to emphasize those competencies here.
I kept a log of my observations and experiences about providing children’s reference (as well as programming and collection development) here:
Click me!
Coursework: LIS 520: Information Resources, Services, and Collections
In this course, we discussed various reference resources, print and virtual, and practiced answering reference questions submitted to the Internet Public Library.
