Lori Buchanan is Coordinator of Research and Instruction at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. Lori has been an ACRL member since 1985 and is your ACRL member of the week.
1. Describe yourself in three words: Learning, connecting, appreciating.
2. What are you reading right now? As a participant in the APSU Faculty Leadership Program this fall, I read Seth Godin‘s Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? and Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. For fun, I just finished Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks and Anne Patchett‘s State of Wonder.
3. Describe ACRL in three words: Librarians, scholarship, service.
4. Why do you value most about ACRL? The professional development opportunities such as the Women’s Leadership Institute that I just attended, as well as the many opportunities to network with other academic librarians that ACRL sponsors are greatly valued.
5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? Making connections with faculty and students that enhance the teaching and learning process is what it’s all about.
6. In your own words: Working on a university campus affords me a myriad of opportunities to learn something new every day as I strive to contribute to the teaching and learning process. I enjoy being a part of shared governance on my campus, serving on Faculty Senate and various university committees. There are many ways that librarians can and should step up and lead.
Becoming knowledgeable about what’s going on around campus helps me to make connections which enable the library to play a larger role in various campus initiatives. I can’t imagine any other career bringing me greater joy and I’m very appreciative of the Duke University reference and law librarians who first mentored me in pursuing this profession.
Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.