Member of the Month

Jodi Brown – 08/2021

Jodi is the Elementary Librarian/Media Center Coordinator at Dayton Christian Schools in Miamisburg, OH (800 FTE). She has been an ACL member since 2016.

Describe yourself using a book title: Curious George Goes to the Library

What’s the best thing about being a librarian? Being able to share my love of reading with my students by introducing them to the wonderful world books have to offer. I love seeing that light bulb go off when they discover how wonderful books are.

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Seferino Esparza – 07/2021

Seferino is the Acquisition-Reference Librarian and an Instructor at College of Biblical Studies – Houston in Houston, TX (355 FTE). He has been an ACL member since 2016.

Describe yourself using a book title: Knowing God by J.I. Packer. In all that I do, I want to know Christ.

What’s the best thing about being a librarian? There are two things that I enjoy about being a librarian: serving others and knowledge. It’s not a secret that at the heart of librarianship is serving others by assisting them with the information (or knowledge) they are seeking. On the one hand, we model Christ’s command to love others (service) and on the other hand, we provide hope (information). Information (or knowledge) can bring hope to a person who needs it.

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Alyssa Sultanik – 06/2021

Alyssa is the Director of Library Services at West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, CA (763 FTE). She has been an ACL member since 2018.

Twitter Handle: @mrssultanik

Describe yourself using a book title: Getting Things Done

What’s the best thing about being a librarian? I love being able to help people and to see them succeed in their academic endeavors.

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Gary Fitsimmons – 05/2021

Gary is the Director of Library Services and Professor of Information Literacy at Bryan College in Dayton, TN (1,089 FTE). He has been an ACL member since 2015.

Describe yourself using a book title: Paradoxology: Why Christianity Was Never Meant to Be Simple by Krish Kandiah. I haven’t read the book, but it sounds like my life message!

What’s the best thing about being a librarian? The best thing about being a librarian is being able to help students when they don’t even know they need help.

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Stephanie Leupp – 04/2021

Stephanie is the Technical Services Manager at the Greene County Public Library in Xenia, OH. She has been an ACL member since 2000.

Describe yourself using a book title: I had to ask my best friend, and she said A Girl of the Limberlost almost immediately. Now I need to go read that!

What’s the best thing about being a librarian? Not having to work outside and working in a quiet environment.

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Rory Patterson – 03/2021

Rory is the Associate Dean, Planning, Administration, and Operations at the Jerry Falwell Library of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA (75,335 FTE). He has been an ACL member since 1999.

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.

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Denise Nelson – 02/2021

Denise is the Library Director at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA (3,647 FTE). She has been an ACL member since 2003.

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.

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Alan Cappella – 01/2021

Alan is the Library Director at Word of Life Bible Institute in Pottersville, NY (360 FTE). He has been an ACL member since 1997.

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!

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Jeanette Parker – 12/2020

Jeanette is the Reference and Instruction Librarian at Newman University in Wichita, KS (1800 FTE). She has been an ACL member since 2000.

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.

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Artis Lovelady, III – 11/2020

Artis is the Director of Library Services at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, TX (343 FTE). He has been an ACL member since 1996.

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