Laura is the Head Librarian at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (FTE: 65) in Grand Rapids, MI. She has been a member of ACL for 8 years.
Describe yourself using a book title: Ah, now that’s a tough one…I’ll choose a book I just finished reading: Every Good Gift: Sufficient Grace in Time of Need by Linda Baker Kaahanui. My life is full of good gifts the Father has given me, including ones that haven’t looked good at the outset. I’ve known abundant grace in every time of personal need.
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? The best thing about my job is the variety of duties that make up my days and interacting with the students.
What are you currently reading? The God Effect by Brian Clegg and The History of the Tlingit Indians of Alaska. Just finished: Voice in the Night by Pastor Surprise Sithole and Every Good Gift: Sufficient Grace in Time of Need by Linda Baker Kaahanui
Describe ACL in three words: Innovative, Inspirational, and…..I would love to be alliterative here, but my mind is a blank!
How do you, as an academic librarian, contribute to your campus? In the usual ways of answering reference questions, teaching a research course, and maintaining the collection. And in unusual ways, such as taking ownership of building issues, decoration and arrangement of furniture, planning the library space, and installing artwork.
I began my career as a librarian...as a 14-year-old volunteer in my public library. This turned into a paid position and when I went to college (Bob Jones University), my campus job was in the library which turned into a full-time position after grad school. From there I obtained my library science degree from the University of South Carolina and worked in the library while studying. After that I was hired at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary as the Head Librarian. So what began innocently enough as a 14-year old reader turned into a professional career.
How were you introduced to ACL? By the one and only Fred Sweet, director of Miller Library, Cornerstone University!
What do you value about ACL? I value the fact that it is an organization devoted to bringing a voice to Christian librarians and providing an outlet for us in the library profession.