Ruth is the Library Director at University of Northwestern – St. Paul in St. Paul, MN (2415 FTE). Ruth has been a member of ACL for 25 years.
Describe yourself using a book title: Grit (Duckworth), alongside Good Enough (Bowler)
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? People – the people I work with (in my library, on campus, and within the profession) and the people I bring service to
What are you currently reading? Together: the healing power of human connection in a sometimes lonely world by Vivek Murthy; The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman; and Digital Liturgies (of course! – for ACL2024) by Samuel James
Describe ACL in three words: Encouragement, Faith, Librarianship
How do you contribute to your campus? By fostering high quality library service and inviting spaces; by connecting/advocating for the library across campus
I began my career as a librarian…in a DOD library that served civilian engineers working for the Army at Redstone Arsenal, AL.
What do you value about ACL? For me, it’s been a long-time network of library professionals, connected by God’s grace, who I can reach out to for work or personal advice and prayer.
How were you introduced to ACL? By Dale Solberg, who was the director at UNW when I began working here
How are you or have you been involved in ACL? Recently, I was the host librarian for the 2024 ACL Annual Conference and served as the Conference Presentation Coordinator. I’ve also been a mentor, served on the FACL Board, and was the Duplicate Exchange Service Coordinator. And Northwestern hosted the conference in 2010 as well.
Do you have any specific interests in the library world? library leadership and management; collection development; students’ reference questions