Experience

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  Courtauld Institute of Art, U. of London

  • London, England, United Kingdom

  • Head of Library

    • Jul 2022 - Present
    • London, England, United Kingdom

    With the up-coming transition from Vernon Square to Somerset House, and a full programme of teaching and learning for six hundred exceptional art history students, I see my role as communicating a schedule of work across experienced staff who already proved their nous. Together we work to marry the extraordinary capabilities of the Institute, with the promise of personal transformation that our library proposes to each of our patrons.

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  University of Brighton

  • Brighton, United Kingdom

  • St. Peters House Library Manager (Head of Library Academic Development)

    • Jan 2009 - Jun 2022
    • Brighton, United Kingdom

    Manage the St. Peters House Library, at City Campus, the most central of the University of Brighton’s four campus libraries; successfully balance a budget of £600k. Together with my team of 14 professional staff-- 7 public-facing, and 7 on-call librarians, we present a proud library making us a popular destination. Continually renew the exterior and interior facilities, 90,000+ circulating books, current magazines, 3,000 rare and unique Special Collection objects, 39 student PCs and MACS, MFDs, and continual cross-site administration of multifaced services such as our scanning service. Conduct local library activities, promoting the University brand in an informed public voice. Expertly progress project-based work, such as a £1million refurbishment in 2018-2019, communicated throughout each stage of the project lifecycle. Balance between needs of individuals, and those of the business. Apply UK employment laws and HR guidelines, carrying out the entire suite of wellbeing policies for all staff– Staff Development; Equality Impact Assessments; Sickness Absence; Stress Management; Flexible Working; Special Leave. Managers are expected to pick up work for absent staff, to ensure they return to a normal workload. Hire for the University, writing job ads, shortlisting, interviewing, and training newly hired staff.Amended my job duties in 2019 which supplemented my role with added responsibilities as the Head of Library Academic Skills. In this entirely new role for the University I use transformative leadership style to motivate 22 Librarians to progress their teaching and learning. Pioneered a culture of knowledge management and peer learning across the librarian team. Ensured library remained accessible to students online and as a mediated service during COVID-19 pandemic.Ingenious framing in messages from a public representative, with the literacy required when speaking to diverse communities within, and external to, the institution.

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  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Housing

  • Residential Life Libraries

    • Aug 2008 - Aug 2009

    Library System ManagerHeaded the operations of nine libraries on campus, with a combined collection of over 20,000 materials. Ensured the accountability of a budget of $400,000. Created and monitored all projects, measured outcomes, and kept staff motivated and on task. Communicated the value of the libraries and our new projects to all students, staff and library partners. Worked closely with library committees, such as the Learning Living Program Coordinators, to develop new library services, both technical and service-oriented. Conducted outreachinto the Cultural Houses on campus. Performed acquisitions, collection development, cataloguing, reference, hiring, training, web editing and supervising.

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  Urbana Free Library

  • Adult Reference Librarian

    • Aug 2007 - Aug 2008

    Adult Reference ServicesHandled questions from a diverse group of patrons. Played an educational role, acquainting patrons with the full breadth of our collections, services, and programmes. Placed a high value on cordial interactions and going the extra mile to ensure patrons’ needs were met. Provided new perspectives on our collection by creating themed handouts and displays in which materials were grouped according to themes that went beyond simple library categories. For example, I created materials which brought together resources for patrons looking for employment.Collection Development and CatalogingBuilt the collection of this public library which is consistently ranked in the top 1% of public libraries in the US, and serves over 1,000 users a day. Hand-selected new purchases “the old fashioned way” i.e. by reading reviews and responding to patron requests rather than using a book jobber. Personally oversaw an annual budget of $28,800 for new books and films. Copy catalogued new books, using the Horizon database assigning MARC metadata and Dewey call numbers.Events and OutreachPlanned and arranged visits from authors, personally overseeing all aspects of the event from selecting the speaker and arranging their visit, to handling publicity and logistics. Collaborated with other staff, exploring together new possibilities for attracting new patrons through multi-media events. Composed regular posts for the librarians’ blog, highlighting aspects of our collection or reviewing individual works.

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  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Information Management Specialist at The Career Center

    • Aug 2004 - Aug 2007

    Library Manager: Oversee the running of the Career Resource Center (Library), which is the public face of The Career Center, serving a student population of 40,000. Perform acquisitions, cataloging, reference, hiring, training, and supervising. Create, monitor, and ensure accountability of Center budget.Project Manager: Manage projects using tools such as job tracking lists, calendars, and project completeness gauges. Aggregate and manage information for in-house databases; apply metadata to entries. Establish relations with online database vendors.Advisor, Trainer and Instructor: Create, publicize, and teach workshops to provide students with advanced company research andjob searching skills. Train staff in use of career information resources and acting as career information experts in the Resource Center. Web Editor: Lead collaborative projects to create instructional guides, podcasts, and vodcasts. Continually improve site based on usability tests and web statistics.

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  University of Illinois, Undergraduate Library

  • Reference and Instruction Graduate Assistant

    • Aug 2002 - Aug 2004

    Researched and articulated answers for patrons, both in person and via an anonymous email reference service. Provided one-on-one reference and virtual reference help. Taught library and information literacy skills for multidisciplinary undergraduate classes. Supervised eight student workers; was responsible for the conduct of patrons in the library (up to 200 at a time) and for opening and closing duties.