This last year has brought many weeks and months of uncertainty for everyone. The pandemic changed how everything was to operate within our libraries, workplaces, and even homes. My sense of communication changed dramatically, without the cues from body language seen when communicating face to face. And, of course, let’s not forget heated elections and world news.
What I Know to Be True – 04/2021
Rory Patterson – 03/2021
Twitter Handle: @rory_patt
Describe yourself using a book title: The Grace Awakening by Charles R. Swindoll. This book introduced me to the reality of lived grace. I try to live daily in the awareness of God’s grace, both giving and receiving grace, and to journal what grace I received each day.
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? To me, the best thing about being a librarian is meeting others’ needs. I get to meet informational needs in reference and instruction events. As a team, we meet many types of resource needs. I work with departments to meet job needs in hiring. As Christian librarians, we meet spiritual needs via praying and peer discipling.
Decide to Lead – 03/2021
In the beginning God blesses His creation. The blessing provides important guidance of how to work. The part of the blessing that stands out to me is the call to subdue the earth. As I reflect on this, my understanding of managing the earth includes the work of libraries and information centers.
Denise Nelson – 02/2021
Twitter Handle: @NiseNelson
Describe yourself using a book title: A Lineage of Grace
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? Particularly at small or medium-sized institutions, librarians are uniquely situated to engage with students and faculty from across the disciplines–every student is “our” student. I love having that window into the work underway in so many areas of my university, and I’m grateful for the variety of ways I can provide support and direction to students and colleagues alike. It’s a privilege to help demystify the world of information and research, and I especially enjoy seeing students’ confidence grow as they become increasingly self-sufficient users of information.
Librarians are Living Bookmarks -02/2021
A student goes to the library to say goodbye; they are graduating – they just wanted to say thank you for helping them pass their courses. This scene is repeated annually in libraries of all types, all over. They go on to success; look at their degree on the wall or promotion and flash back to the time in school when the librarian helped with their failing course so they could pass and graduate. They put a mental bookmark in the important chapter in their life of, pass or fail, or make it or break it, give up or go on, and that bookmarker is you, the librarian who helped them at that crossroads of their life to success. They are now at a point in their success because of you, the librarian hidden behind the circulation or reference desk who smiled and said, “How can I help you today?”
Alan Cappella – 01/2021
Describe yourself using a book title: The Book of Psalms
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? The best thing is helping students with research and writing then watching their faces light up!
Who’s Wearing Armor in the Library? – 01/2021
Libraries are usually such peaceful places; it is hard to imagine that a “war” may be going on inside them. Yet internal battles are being fought all the time in the hearts of students, staff, and faculty. Paul encourages us in Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God so we can stand when trouble comes. It does not say to put on this piece or that piece, or whichever pieces we feel like, but rather the whole armor. If we wear the helmet of salvation but forget the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God), we won’t be able to stand. If we put on the belt of truth but forget about the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness, we won’t be able to stand. If we put on the shoes of the gospel of peace but forget about the shield of faith, we won’t be able to stand. We have to take up the whole armor and be ready for action!
Jeanette Parker – 12/2020
Describe yourself using a book title: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I have read this book so many times throughout my life, and it has influenced me in new and different ways with every reading. In one pivotal scene the mother tells her artistic daughters the value of shaping and forming her character as carefully as she created her works of art. I am a creation under constant shaping and forming by God with a long way to go!
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? The opportunities to work with and teach students. I love teaching students about information literacy, but value most the time I spend working with students individually and the conversations that happen.
God’s Love and Faithfulness – 12/2020
I am writing from Lesotho, Southern Africa to testify how the love and the faithfulness of God has sustained me during this global pandemic. I grew up in Pitseng, in the rural area of Lesotho, and was raised by my mother after my father abandoned us. It was not easy, but the love of God and His faithfulness kept us. I know that God is love; His love is unmeasurable and incomparable; His promises are faithful; He will never leave us nor forsake us.
