Michael Ellis is Access Services/Reference Librarian at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana. Michael has been an ACRL member since 2010 and is your ACRL member of the week for August 17, 2015.
1. Describe yourself in three words: Intelligent, inquisitive, and persistent.
2. What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device(s)? I am currently reading The Confederacy’s Last Hurrah: Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville by Wiley Sword and The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 by Stan Hoig for a genealogy project I am working on concerning my third great-grandfather, Enos Ellis. Enos served in Company A, Third Indiana Cavalry and Company D, Tenth Indiana Cavalry during the Civil War and was an 89er; that is, he was a participant in the Oklahoma Territory Land Run of 1889. The more I learn about Enos the more I admire his perseverance, resilience, and determination.
3. Describe ACRL in three words: Proactive, supportive, and indispensable.
4. What do you value about ACRL? There are three things in particular I highly value about ACRL:
1. The security and support I receive as a professional academic librarian.
2. The wealth of knowledge I gain from reading College & Research Libraries and College & Research Libraries News.
3. The camaraderie of my fellow ACRL members.
5. What do you, as an academic librarian, contribute to your campus? As the Access Services librarian in the Agnes Brown Duggan Library at Hanover College, I have made it my mission to provide efficient, effective, and innovative access to scholarly resources and materials to the Hanover College community and visiting scholars in pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, knowledge, and scholarship. I do my best to accomplish this mission daily.
6. In your own words: Before beginning my career as an academic librarian I had tried my hands at various other professions, from farming to working as a professional photographer. Looking back, I would have to state that being an academic librarian has been one of the most challenging, rewarding, and fulfilling careers for me. I find it particularly rewarding when a student I have helped at the reference desk comes back to let me know that she or he has done well on an academic project I have assisted them with.
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.