About

Work Experience

Upper Arlington Public Library: Youth Manager
Upper Arlington, OH, June 2021 – present

  • Develops and implements life-long learning opportunities and events for ages birth-18, resulting in a 59% increase in program attendance in 2022 compared to 2019 with the same staff and budget
  • Supervises, interviews, hires, trains, develops, and evaluates 7 Youth Services team members
  • Envisions and creates new services to anticipate community needs including sensory-friendly experiences, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, and play-based community gathering spaces
  • Manages system-wide Summer Reading and Winter Reading programs, with an 89% increase in Winter Reading and an 18% increase in Summer Reading participation compared to 2019
  • Coordinates outreach visits and programs with local schools, the city, and community partners
  • Recommends policies and writes procedures for the operations of the Youth Services department
  • Oversees department budget and programming expenditures
  • Partners with Collection Development to evaluate and select materials for library acquisition and promote effective weeding and merchandising of collection
  • Plans, directs, implements, and evaluates the activities and objectives of the Youth Services department
  • Leads monthly department meetings and quarterly inter-department meetings
  • Collects department statistics and creates monthly reports for library director
  • Chairs the Content Creation Marketing Committee and serves on the library Marketing Steering Committee

Westerville Public Library: Youth Librarian
Westerville, OH, August 2016 – June 2021

  • Managed the Wizards and Wands Festival, an annual event involving an $18,000+ budget, selecting and coordinating a 15 member committee, and collaborating across all library departments with over 3000 customers attending
  • Planed and presented 5-10 programs each month for ages 0-18 inside the library, outside the library, or virtually including coding and robotics activities, storytimes for ages 0-6, and booktalks for grades 2-5
  • Led equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, including co-facilitating eight librarians participating in the Project Ready Curriculum and serving as a founding member and secretary of the library-wide Equity & Diversity Committee
  • Applied for grants to create innovative programs and services, including a $5000 LSTA tech grant and a $1500 LSTA graphic novel grant
  • Introduced media mentor concepts into daily library practices and programming by running staff trainings and increasing technology offerings and programs
  • Conducted reference interviews and provides readers’ advisory services to patrons ages 0-18
  • Performed collection development activities including weeding and suggesting purchases

Westerville Public Library: Youth Practicum Student
Westerville, OH, May 2016 – July 2016

Upper Arlington Public Library: Circulation Assistant
Upper Arlington, OH, September 2015 – July 2016

Walt Disney World Resort: Merchandise and Attractions Hostess
Orlando, FL, August 2014 – May 2015

Learn more about my work experience on my resume and throughout the other pages of this portfolio.

Education

Masters in Library and Information Science, December 2016
Kent State University, Kent, OH
Specialized in Children’s Librarianship and Teen Librarianship
Graduated Summa Cum Laude.

mlis-practicum
Read about my MLIS Practicum experience here.

Honors Bachelor of Arts in English, May 2014
Rollins College, Winter Park, FL
Awarded Cornell Scholarship (full tuition, room, and board scholarship)
Graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Computer Skills

Library Software:

  • Polaris ILS (Leap Interface)
  • Sierra ILS
  • Evanced Event Scheduling
  • Communico Event Scheduling
  • Volgistics Volunteer Management Software
  • Overdrive & Libby
  • Hoopla
  • READSquared Reading Program Software

Other Computer Software, Programs, Languages, Skills, and More:

  • Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS operating systems
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Google Suite
  • HTML & CSS
  • Web Design (WordPress)
  • Video Editing (iMovie, Final Cut)
  • Social media platforms

Professional Development

Committee Work:

  • Award Committees & Review:
    • 2023 Caldecott Award Selection Committee, Member
    • 2020 – present SLJ Reviewer (on break in 2022 due to Caldecott committee)
    • 2020 ALSC Notable Children’s Recordings Committee, Chair
    • 2018-2019 ALSC Notable Children’s Recordings Committee, Member
  • National Work:
    • 2019- present ALSC Education Committee Member
    • 2020-2022 ALSC Research Taskforce, Member
  • Work in Ohio:
    • 2022 – present OLC Children’s Services Division Action Council, Assistant Coordinator (Leadership Track)
    • 2019-2020 OLC Service for All Conference, Secretary
    • 2021 OLC Children’s Services Division Action Council, Secretary
    • 2019-2021 OLC Children’s Services Division Action Council, Member
  • Work at my library:
    • 2022 Content Creation Marketing Committee, Chair (UAPL)
    • 2022 Marketing Steering Committee, Member (UAPL)
    • 2020-2021 Equity & Diversity Committee, Secretary (WPL)
    • 2020-2021 Marketing Committee, Member (WPL)
    • 2020-2021 Project Ready Team, Facilitator (WPL)
    • 2018-2021 Wizards & Wands Festival Planning Committee, Chair (WPL)

Training & Continuing Education:

Read more about my professional development here.