Jennifer Walz is the Instruction & E-Resources Librarian at Danville Community College/ Barksdale Library in Danville, VA (1550 FTE). She has been a member of ACL for 31 years.
Librarian Career
I began my career as a librarian…in high school. Yup! They caught me at an early age. I worked in my high school library in my junior and senior years. The librarian and I still keep in touch all these years later. She was gracious enough to provide me with a letter of recommendation for a student library position at Asbury. So then, I was a student worker in the Asbury Library for 4 years and went from there on to library school. I have been working in libraries for over 40 years!
Between the Pages: Getting to Know Our Member of the Month
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? Working with students and finding the exact bit of information that we were looking for.
What are you currently reading? The Internet Is Not the Answer by Andrew Keen
How do you as a librarian contribute to your campus or community? I wear many hats in my role—I provide library instruction to students and manage our collection development. I also serve as the campus ILS administrator and maintain our LibGuides and library web pages. Beyond traditional library responsibilities, I support instructional design by collaborating with faculty, serve as our Canvas administrator for distance learning, and handle Interlibrary Loan processing. Additionally, I assist students in navigating both our electronic resources and the physical library space.
Do you have any specific interests in the library world? Technology, internet, electronic resources, and Libguides!
What are your hobbies or interests outside of work? I enjoy getting outside and hiking, or staying inside and doing some crochet. I also sing in our Danville community choir.
ACL Involvement
How were you introduced to ACL? It might have been an advertisement in a magazine or Lois Leusing suggesting it to me.
Describe ACL in three words: Fellowship, Faithful, Learning.
What do you value about ACL? All of the members that I can engage with from across many library types and institutions – from many countries and locations. Yet we all share a common purpose and intent with shared Christian values.
How are you or have you been involved in ACL? I have presented many times at the ACL Conference, been on the leadership team of the Liberal Arts Section, been a mentor since the beginning of the program, served on the ACL Board of Directors, and volunteered for many teams and groups. I am currently the Convener of the Christians in Secular Academic Libraries Interest Group.