Member of the Week: Lauren Hays
Lauren Hays is Instructional and Research Librarian at the MidAmerica Nazarene University Mabee Library in Olathe, Kansas. Lauren has been an ACRL member since 2012 and is your ACRL member of the week for March 4, 2013.
1. Describe yourself in three words: Passionate, motivated, organized.
2. What are you reading right now (or listening to on your mobile device)? I just finished Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael B. Horn, and Curtis W. Johnson. This was a book that I read for a committee at work and I really enjoyed it. For a fun read, I am currently reading The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker.
3. Describe ACRL in three words: Network, valuable, informative.
4. What do you value about ACRL? I value the broad network, the great ideas from fellow academic librarians, and the community created through ACRL. The discussion lists to which I subscribe have been instrumental for new ideas and new ways to approach my job.
5. What do you, as an academic librarian, contribute to your campus? As an instructional and research librarian, it is my hope to provide curricular support. I am passionate about research skills and the need for students to understand how information is organized, how to evaluate it, and then how to ethically use it. This is a lifelong skill. Also, I hope to continue to get more involved on campus. Through my involvement on campus, I hope that students know the library is a place to use and the library staff are always happy to help.
6. In your own words: My undergraduate degree was in secondary education and I think I always knew that I wanted to teach, but I was not sure about teaching at the secondary level. After some soul-searching, I decided to go back to school and obtain my MLS. When I started working part-time in an academic library I knew that I had found my place. Being an academic librarian is the perfect fit for me. It allows me to teach, manage projects, and learn about different disciplines of study. I love what I do and I have often caught myself smiling on the drive to work.
Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.
- Member of the Week