Lib Chat Vitals CURRENT POSITION Librarian University Hospital Limerick, Ireland DEGREE MLIS, University College Dublin, 2009 FOLLOW @libfocus; @mishdalton; #irelibchat; www.libfocus.com; www.michelledalton.ie When Michelle Dalton finished library school in Dublin in 2009, she graduated into a tough professional climate with few available jobs. After nine months as an unpaid intern cataloging at the National Library [...]

Humanist at Work Vitals CURRENT POSITION Youth Librarian Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR DEGREE MLIS, UCLA, 2008 CHAIR Orientations Committee, ALA New Members Round Table ON HER WALL A postcard of a little girl and the question, “Do you UBUNTU?” McCurtis explains, “Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘Humanity to others’ ” and the name [...]

DIY Mind-Set Vitals CURRENT POSITION Scholarly Communications Librarian Florida State University, Tallahassee DEGREE MLIS, Florida State University, Tallahassee, 2011 COMMUNITY hacklibschool.wordpress.com FOLLOW @micahvandegrift; micahvandegrift.com; www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org; micahvandegrift.tumblr.com Photo by Stuart Rochford, Technology Center Coordinator Micah Vandegrift’s first job after getting his MLIS from Florida State University (FSU) in 2011 was as a part-time project manager for [...]

One Book…for 2,500 Kids Vitals CURRENT POSITION Youth Services Librarian Assistant Lawrence Public Library, KS DEGREE Bachelor of General Studies, University of Kansas, 2005 READ ACROSS LAWRENCE FOR KIDS www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/news-events/read-across-lawrence; www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2012/10/sharing-one-story-read-across-lawrence-for-kids CONTRIBUTOR www.libraryasincubatorproject.org FOLLOW @rebeccazdunn; www.sturdyforcommonthings.com Photo by Ron Wurzer/Getty Images for Library Journal For a decade, the Lawrence Public Library (LPL) has gotten the [...]

Literacy Legacy Vitals CURRENT POSITION Branch Supervisor Southgate Branch, Sacramento Public Library, CA DEGREE MLIS, San José State University, CA, 2005 FOLLOW www.saclibrary.org/Services/Adult-Literacy; www.saclibrary.org/Locations/Southgate Thanks to branch supervisor Christy Aguirre, the Southgate Branch of the Sacramento Public Library (SPL), located in a poor neighborhood known for gang-related violence, has become a literacy-promoting safe space. Almost [...]

Career Conjurer Vitals CURRENT POSITION INALJ Editor, Publisher, and Founder; Reference and Acquisitions Librarian, CSTI/Census Bureau Library, Suitland, MD INALJ (I Need A Library Job), Hyattsville, MD DEGREE MLIS, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 2011 KUDOS From the site’s late 2010 launch to December 31, 2012, 720-plus visitors have found information jobs via INALJ.com FUN [...]

Networking Queen Vitals CURRENT POSITION Program Analyst, Office of Science & Engineering Laboratories U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD DEGREE MS, Educational Technology, University of Arizona South, Sierra Vista, 2011; MIRLS, University of Arizona, Tucson, 2009 FOLLOW newfedsinfo.wordpress.com; about.me/jessica.hernandez; www.loc.gov/flicc/about/FLICC_WGs/newfeds.html Photo by Stanford Barouh Many new library professionals are pushing the boundaries of [...]

Driving Force Vitals CURRENT POSITION Outreach Services Librarian Arapahoe Library District, Centennial, CO DEGREE MLIS, University of Denver, 2008 FOLLOW www.arapahoelibraries.org Photo by Jim Larimer When mobile services librarian Richard Lyda started work at Arapahoe Library District in 2008, the bookmobile had just died. This pushed him into the fast lane. He used data and [...]

Words into Deeds Vitals CURRENT POSITION Reference Librarian and VP, Vermont Public Library Association Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center DEGREES MSLIS, Palmer School/Long Island University, Brookville, NY, 2011; MA, English Literature, University of Montana, Missoula, 2006 ADVOCACY rurallibrariansunite.org; www.literacyforincarceratedteens.org FOLLOW @willoughbrarian; lexsleuther.wordpress.com Photo by Daisy Benson Tackling huge professional challenges has become something of a [...]

Tumblarian No. 1 Vitals CURRENT POSITION Research Analyst Bank Of Montreal Business Research Group DEGREE MLIS, Dominican University, River Forest, IL, 2012 FUN FACT Played rugby in college FOLLOW thelifeguardlibrarian.tumblr.com; @lifegdlibrarian; dearlibrary.tumblr.com Photo by Ron Wurzer/Getty Images for Library Journal While still in graduate school, Kate Tkacik, now a research analyst at Bank of Montreal, [...]