Robert is the Serials and Electronic Resources Librarian at Mississippi College in Clinton, MS (5,000 FTE). He has been an ACL member for 10 years.
Twitter handle: @RobLeeBurgess
Describe yourself using a book title: This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us by Marilyn Johnson
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? I really enjoy helping students become successful so that they can complete their life goals.
What are you currently reading? It’s Not Your Turn by Heather Thompson Day, Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley, and Ethics as Worship by Evan Lenow and Mark Liederbach
Describe ACL in three words: Network / Family / Development
How do you (or How have you), as an academic librarian, contribute to your campus? I endeavor to try to make our online resources accessible to our students. In addition, I help students with research questions. I also manage all inter-library loans.
I began my career as a librarian… My first library job was as a volunteer at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Library.
What do you value about ACL? I appreciate all the ideas that are shared among members. I have always appreciated how this is a professional organization that cares and prays for one another. This organization has drastically changed my life.
How were you introduced to ACL? A non-member librarian at the University of Alabama told me about the organization when I was a library school student. She had heard great things about the organization and highly encouraged me to join.
How are you or have you been involved in ACL? I have served on the Board of Directors, Book Award Team, and the Christian Librarian Consortium Team. I currently serve as an Indexer for the Christian Periodical Index as well as serve on the Virtual Initiatives Team.
Do you have any specific interests in the library world? Electronic resources, digital archives, technology