Say hello to Mary Odom, Director of Library Services for the International Association of Assessing Officers, in this latest installment of the “20 (or so) Questions” series.

1. Describe the work done by your employer and how you support the organization’s mission.

The International Association of Assessing Officers is a nonprofit education and research organization that supports property tax assessors in local government jurisdictions. We are a professional development association just like SLA, except our members are assessment professionals. We publish a peer-reviewed journal for practitioners and provide credentialing for our members. I serve the research function of IAAO by providing access to resources on property appraisal, assessment administration, and property tax policy.

2. What percentage of your collection is electronic?

20% and growing, soon to be adding e-books to our collection.

3. Describe the services that you provide to your patrons.

I answer reference questions concerning the valuation of various types of properties almost every day. I also conduct in-depth research on policies and practices that local jurisdictions need for decision-making, for defending values that are under appeal, or for situations that arise such as the property damage done in the recent tragedy in Boston. IAAO stands for fairness in property tax administration, so our members are constantly doing research to stay on top of the ever-changing real estate market.

4. How many patrons do you serve?

Approximately 7,000.

5. What’s the most used / requested /circulated item in your collection?

A publication that IAAO created and updates annually called Property Tax Policies and Administrative Practices in the United States and Canada. Because all of the states and provinces have different property tax systems, IAAO tracks what’s happening in each state and province and maintains a central repository for use by legislators, researchers, and members.

6. How long have you worked there?

5 years.

7. Do you have an MLS and if so, what school did you receive your degree from?

I graduated from the University of Missouri- Columbia with an MLS and also have a Realtor’s license which helped me initially with the learning curve of property appraisal.

8. What’s the strangest information request you’ve received?

The strangest questions are from taxpayers who confuse us with police officers because we have “officers” in the name of our organization. “Is this where I can file a complaint about my assessor?” No, we don’t have any authority over your local assessor.

9. What databases do you subscribe to?

Gale Custom Journals database allows special libraries to select 100 journals to make a custom database of full text articles. It’s one of the best deals around for small budgets. I also subscribe to IntelliConnect Tax Research Network from CCH.

10. Have you always been a “Solo”, or did you become one due to organizational change?

I’ve always been a solo, however I have recently added a professional half-time person to the staff. This has challenged me to grow in so many unexpected ways since I’m now supervising and also have the benefit of having another professional with which to collaborate.

11. Is the library an independent part of your organization, or do you report into a larger department?

The Research Department encompasses the library, however we do not currently have a Research Director. So my department has only 1 and a half employees who are both librarians.

12. What do you do to market yourself as a librarian within your organization?

I attend our annual educational conference and two other smaller seminars every year and conduct on-site research consultations with attendees. For those who are not able to attend, I promote my services through our monthly magazine Fair & Equitable, broadcast emails, web site, Facebook page, and LinkedIn group.

13. Are you involved in any “non-library” activities in your organization? If so, what are they?

I help to plan the education content for 2 seminars, obtain and track continuing legal education credits from state bar associations and supreme courts around the country, and administer a certificate program for local jurisdictions that undergo an intense evaluation process. These responsibilities allow me to engage with all departments in my organization which in turn allows me to anticipate needs that my own department can fill. In 2010, I informally surveyed solo librarians about this topic of “non-library” tasks and received 119 responses. Out of those responses, 70% indicated that they have “non-library” responsibilities. I’d love to share those findings in a future article if anyone is interested.

14. Do you currently (or plan to) have any library-themed tattoos?

I have fun with the Illustrated Librarian temporary tattoos. My favorite is “Read or Die”. I also love to wear my library-themed shirt that says “It’s All About the Library” (purchased from www.stopfalling.com). (see photo below!)

15. As solos, we don’t have the luxury of walking down the hall to talk to librarian colleagues. When you have a problem, need advice, or simply want to talk shop, where are some of your favorite places to go?

My local chapter (Kansas/Western Missouri) is a priceless asset to my job that has provided excellent local education programs and numerous networking opportunities. I also contacted my ILS vendor and asked for names of other local users and then organized a user’s group for my area. Most importantly, I have a mentor in another state who operates a library with a similar collection as mine and who is willing to spend time on the phone discussing issues and ideas. Everyone needs a mentor like him, who is farther along in his career and willing to give back to our profession.

16. Read any good books lately?

The Cybrarian’s Web by Cheryl Ann Peltier-Davis.

17. Name one of your guilty pleasures.

Hot stone and Swedish full-body massage.

18. What kind of music do you like?

I’d honestly rather listen to audiobooks on my smartphone, iPad, or in the car.

19. What are your hobbies outside of work?

Zumba (Latin-themed dance workouts), Sci-Fi movies, and most recently I discovered Pinterest. I also serve in my church library which has launched its catalog online this year, and is one of only 93 in the country to do so.

20. What would be your ideal vacation? Have you done it, yet?

I was married in Hawaii on the island of Oahu in 2001 and would love to cruise all of the Hawaiian islands on a two-week vacation. My husband has always wanted to cruise Alaska, so that’s our vacation for this year. Perhaps I will get to go back to Hawaii for our 15th anniversary.

In this installment of the “20 (or so) Questions” series, we meet Susan Morley, Manager of Information and Knowledge Management for CSA Group’s Learning Institute. Susan helps to set the standard, as it were, for being a fantastic Solo… (Hey, no one said that there wouldn’t be any bad puns on this blog.)

1. Describe the work done by your employer and how you support the organization’s mission.

CSA Group was originally established in 1919 as an independent organization called the Canadian Engineering Standards Association. We’re still an independent, not-for-profit membership association whose over 7,500 members include consumers, business and government, with the focus of safety, social good and sustainability. CSA Group’s knowledge and expertise encompasses standards development (we develop and maintain 3,000 standards); training and advisory solutions; global testing and certification services across approx 54 business areas including these key ones: hazardous location and industrial, plumbing and construction, medical, safety and technology, appliances and gas, alternative energy, lighting and sustainability; as well as consumer product evaluation services. We also operate under the traditional name of Canadian Standards Association. Our Certification & Testing division is responsible for issuing the “CSA Mark” on millions of products, in use around the world. To quote our President & CEO Ash Sahi “In terms of brand recognition, the three-letter CSA certification mark is as familiar to Canadians as Coca-Cola’s signature swirled letters or Apple’s iconic minimalist logo.”

My focus is providing Information and Knowledge Management resources to all staff. My services support decision making and enhance staff learning experiences, in keeping with CSA Group Purpose, Vision and Values.

• Purpose: Making standards work for people and business
• Vision: A better, safer, more sustainable world, where standards work for people and business

2. What percentage of your collection is electronic?

The majority of the collection (print/electronic) consists of standards. Of that approx 76% is online. There is a small magazine and shelved book collection, with plans to introduce eBooks.

3. Describe the services that you provide to your patrons.

Mostly falls within the definition of typical Library services – majority focus is on providing a collection of information resource materials, of which a large & growing percentage is in electronic. A small magazine collection, which still routes to local staff – just introduced digital/mobile/online access. I don’t do I.L.L. mainly because we don’t loan “standards” which comprise about 85% of the collection.

4. How many patrons do you serve?

About 60% of the technical staff, around 900 people, actively use the online collection. Over the past year the user base has ‘jumped’ 5%. A smaller number prefers in-person or e-mail referral. We’re still based in Canada, with roughly 1,700 employees are located in over 30 offices around the globe – from Canada to Mexico; U.K. to Switzerland; India to China – it’s a very geographically diverse bunch of people to serve.

5. What’s the most used / requested /circulated item in your collection?

Oh… pick a standard… on just about any topic. Though I’m guessing something in the electrical /electronic discipline will top the list.

6. How long have you worked there?

34 years.

7. Do you have an MLS and if so, what school did you receive your degree from?

Originally a graduate of Sheridan College Library Technicians Program, I’ve taken several additional programs. Most recently Knowledge & Records Management through Click University and University of Toronto. Overview of Archives Management / Museum Studies may be on the horizon.

8. What’s the strangest information request you’ve received?

Can’t recall a strange one… but then I’m so used to the varied topics staff request. What may seem strange to others is normal to me… in hindsight that might be a bit disturbing!?

9. What databases do you subscribe to?

We have a heavy emphasis on technical content – standards of course is the primary focus – I.H.S. Standards Expert; IEEE Xplore; SAI Global Standards i2i Solutions are 3 core resources. Others include D&B Hoovers; Knovel online Technical Resources. Some not so common database resources include ISO/IEC Graphical Symbols database; CANLii; CCOHS enviroOSH Legislation; etc.

10. Have you always been a “Solo”, or did you become one due to organizational change?

No, only 4 years. Like many organizations several years ago CSA Group right sized the Information Centre. Doing so reduced the head count from 3 to 1, and reduced the service offering. This change heralded the change of focus, and the growth of the electronic collection.

11. Is the library an independent part of your organization, or do you report into a larger department?

The Information Centre is part of CSA Group’s Learning Institute. One of CSA Group’s corporate values is Continuous Learning, and this division’s focus directly supports this mandate.

12. What do you do to market yourself as a librarian within your organization?

I am a regular presenter at staff orientation/training sessions. Certifier University is a Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD) award winning program, of which I am happy to report I am a regular participant. In addition to in person training sessions, I have, in collaboration with our Internal Training team, created several Computer Based Training (CBT) modules – some of which are mandatory training. I also coordinate vendor supplied training, and disseminate an irregular eNewsletter on the Information Centre’s resource offerings. I attend relevant staff presentations, and often follow up with suggestions and/or reminders about resources.

13. Are you involved in any “non-library” activities in your organization? If so, what are they?

Some years more so than others. I am a regular participant in our Long Service Award planning committee – I did mention I’ve been here 34 years didn’t I? I’m also a founding member of CSA Group’s Corporate Records Management committee, and participate on our Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act [AODA] Compliance committee.

14. Do you currently (or plan to) have any library-themed tattoos?

Not likely – though it probably wouldn’t surprise many of my work colleagues if I did.

15. As solos, we don’t have the luxury of walking down the hall to talk to librarian colleagues. When you have a problem, need advice, or simply want to talk shop, where are some of your favorite places to go?

Discussion lists are a great resource – CTOR, DSOL and DENG are my go to lists, but also will post to OLA and OALT-ABO which are more diverse. It really depends on which need I’m attempting to fill. It’s rare that I get to in person evening meetings, as CSA Group’s HQ is in the NW end of Toronto and convenient for meetings, but am hoping to get to more of SLA Toronto West meetings. The OLA 2013 Superconference (Jan 30th –Feb 2nd) was a great opportunity to meet up with many colleagues, chat with vendors (existing and potential ones).

16. Read any good books lately?

Definitely – always can find a good read at the local library – as long as it isn’t ‘standards’. No, honestly my favorite authors write in the historical fiction genre– Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz), Julie Garwood, Nora Roberts, and am always looking for something new. I recently finished Jillian Stone’s An Affair with Mr. Kennedy and can highly recommend it.

17. Name one of your guilty pleasures.

Downton Abbey –well any historical costume drama that behaves like a soap. Not sure what I’m going to do until Season 4 starts.

18. What kind of music do you like?

Fairly eclectic tastes in music, but mainly listen to Jazz. Toronto has a great radio station Jazz FM 91 – which is nearly always on in my car.

19. What are your hobbies outside of work?

Family history aka genealogy, and gardening.

20. What would be your ideal vacation? Have you done it, yet?

Going somewhere new and possibly doing something I haven’t done before.

I’ve fond memories of several vacations: rock climbing in the Red Rock Canyon, Nevada; swimming in view of Mount Zermatt, Switzerland; riding the Chunnel train from Paris to London; walking along the shore of the Italian Riviera; the views from the Gondola Car at Banff National Park, and Chicago’s Willis/Sears Tower Skydeck. Wonder what the next vacation will bring?

In this installment of the “20 (or so) Questions” series, we enter the design world and meet Laura Pike-Seeley, Solo at Fossil. Read on…

1. Describe the work done by your employer and how you support the organization’s mission.

Fossil, Inc. is a global retailer specializing in the design, innovation, and marketing of fashion lifestyle and accessory products. Fossil is a distinctive modern vintage design brand, fusing elements of vintage creative culture, Mid-Century Modern design, and contemporary fashion. Perhaps best known for its watches, Fossil offerings also include jewelry, leather goods, sunwear, apparel, and footwear. The company is continuing to grow as it introduces new designs, stores, and product categories. Fossil also creates fashion accessories for a number of other owned and licensed brands, such as Emporio Armani and Michael Kors. The company is constantly developing its multi-brand portfolio.

I support design initiatives by managing the centralized resources that are used by our designers for reference and inspiration. Right now, I manage two major collections. One is a library of books, magazines, audiovisual materials, and other traditional materials, which is used by the art department and product designers. The other is an archive of original samples, which are the textiles, home goods, bags, belts, and other leather goods purchased on shopping trips that are used by our leathers teams for reference and inspiration.

2. What percentage of your collection is electronic?

Most of our traditional library materials are print only. I am currently developing a digital archive of Fossil catalogs. We have also recently converted to digital versions of trend books from providers like Doneger and ESP Edit. These are seasonal forecasts of trends in color and concept for various fashion categories, and they are heavily used. I also am in the middle of a project that involves digitizing and cataloging the archive of original samples.

3. Describe the services that you provide to your patrons.

I’ve spent the majority of my time at Fossil cataloging. The library materials are now cataloged, but I have a long way to go in digitizing and cataloging the original samples. When I first arrived here, the collections were disorganized and not well managed. There was no inventory or way to know where items were located. I convinced my managers that we needed an ILS that would be flexible enough to manage the library materials and the original samples, and they helped me see that designers would respond best to a gallery type, image-centric results view. After investigating over a dozen options and realizing I would need a custom results view, I ended up choosing Soutron Global because I liked the flexibility, interface, and customer service.

When I’m not describing and digitizing resources, I’m providing reference assistance to help connect employees to samples, books, database results, other resources to guide concept and design development. I assemble city shopping guides for those traveling on shopping trips abroad. I manage dozens of periodicals and send out alerts to those who want to know when certain new materials arrive. I train designers on use of the catalog and databases when necessary, and if requested, I will dig through bins to help designers find that perfect sample for a mood board or a presentation. I recently started creating a “Weekly Headlines” news post on our intranet to keep all employees aware of developments in the fashion and retail industries. I expect my role and job duties to expand once I’m finished with the archive digitization project, which won’t necessarily be anytime soon!

4. How many patrons do you serve?

There are over a thousand people working in the Fossil corporate headquarters, and all of them are welcome to visit the library, use the computers, and check out books. But I focus on serving the needs of designers, and there are hundreds of them here.

5. What’s the most used / requested /circulated item in your collection?

For samples, it’s always something purchased on a recent shopping trip, like a bag in a color or silhouette that will be big in an upcoming season. In the library, I would say that one of our most popular items is the 12-volume reprint of the domus journals. Books on midcentury modern design are also requested frequently, since that aesthetic is at the core of Fossil’s designs.

6. How long have you worked there?

I’ve been at Fossil since June of 2011.

7. Do you have an MLS and if so, what school did you receive your degree from?

I have an MLS, with a concentration in Archives Management, and an MA in History from Simmons College. I graduated in January of 2010.

8. What’s the strangest information request you’ve received?

Generally, information requests are design-related, so they are interesting but never what I would call strange. Stuff like, how did the Dada art movement affect typography? The most unexpected request was not work-related; someone was trying to figure out the address of the house he lived in as a child in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He came to me when he didn’t know where else to look for the information. The Albuquerque Public Library had a Local History department that held white pages from the 60s, when he lived in the house, so I gave him the number for the librarian there. He got the information that he was looking for.

9. What databases do you subscribe to?

We subscribe to trend services providers like WGSN and Stylesight, WWD.com, and the Vogue Archive.

10. Have you always been a “Solo”, or did you become one due to organizational change?

I was a Public Librarian right out of grad school, but I was looking for something that would give me more freedom to try new things. When I came to Fossil, I was the first librarian/archivist and am still the only one.

11. Is the library an independent part of your organization, or do you report into a larger department?

I am part of the Brand Team, which is responsible for providing design and concept cohesion for the organization each season. I’m not sure that everyone in the organization recognizes this, especially since I don’t sit very close to that team, so I’m generally regarded as an independent department.

12. What do you do to market yourself as a librarian within your organization?

We have a WordPress-driven Intranet. Like many others, our company is moving away from excessive emails, so I deliver news mostly via the Intranet. Occasionally I will send emails directed just to design teams or leaders who will find the information useful. I do new hire tours nearly every week and trainings when needed. I also post a current awareness newsletter on the intranet each week to promote use of our databases and subscriptions. I set up seasonal displays in the library revolving around the concept for the upcoming seasons we are working on, which is generally a year ahead.

13. Are you involved in any “non-library” activities in your organization? If so, what are they?

Professionally, I’ve got my hands full with library and archive tasks. Socially, Fossil is a great place to work. We have a gym, a Starbucks, and a Café, which encourages me to get out from behind my desk and interact with new people. We also get to enjoy concerts by local musicians, movie marathons related to seasonal concept directions, speakers from vendors and partners like Hatch Show Print, and more. There’s even a company store with discounted products. This is not the type of environment I thought I’d be working in, but it’s rewarding in these and many other ways.

14. Do you currently (or plan to) have any library-themed tattoos?

Love them on other people, but they’re not for me!

15. As solos, we don’t have the luxury of walking down the hall to talk to librarian colleagues. When you have a problem, need advice, or simply want to talk shop, where are some of your favorite places to go?

The Solo listserv was a crucial source of support when I first came to Fossil and had to select an ILS for our collections. This group of virtual strangers became my only sounding board, and they were amazing. I think Twitter and LinkedIn have become great resources for gathering opinions and information. I also talk to friends who are librarians, including the wonderful group I worked with at the public library. Even if they don’t understand everything I do, the people I work with and know here at Fossil are always willing to give me input on decisions I’m facing.

16. Read any good books lately?

Favorites I’ve recently enjoyed include Cloud Atlas, The Book of Lost Things, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

17. Name one of your guilty pleasures.

The Mac and Cheese at a restaurant here in Dallas called The Porch is ridiculous. Also, I’m a Pinterest addict.

18. What kind of music do you like?

I’m a Texan, so country, especially Texas country, will always be a favorite. I also love folk, bluegrass and classic rock.

19. What are your hobbies outside of work?

Antiquing is a passion of mine. I love antique and vintage shops, the more eclectic and cluttered the better, and I would go to regional antique fairs every weekend if I could. My husband and I also love going to live comedy shows.

20. What would be your ideal vacation? Have you done it, yet?

Definitely backpacking in Central America. I haven’t done it yet, but I’ve been telling myself that I’ll take a nice long vacation when I finish with the archives digitization project!

In our next installment of the “20 (or so) Questions” series, we meet Naomi Bishop, Solo at Ventana Medical Systems.  Enjoy!

1. Describe the work done by your employer and how you support the organization’s mission.

Ventana’s mission is to improve the lives of patients afflicted with cancer.  Ventana innovates and manufactures instruments and reagents that automate tissue processing and slide staining for cancer diagnostics.  I support the company by providing quality information and research assistance.

2. What percentage of your collection is electronic?

98% of our library collection is electronic.  I have few bookshelves of print reference.

3. Describe the services that you provide to your patrons.

I provide research support, online literature searches, and instruction to support company information needs.  My main customers are scientists, engineers, and pathologists, but I support all areas of the company including research & development, sales & marketing, and manufacturing.  Some of my most popular services are targeted literature searches, reference requests, and weekly literature updates.  I also assist with Post-Market Surveillance for existing products.

4. How many patrons do you serve?

Core users are about 500.

5. What’s the most used / requested /circulated item in your collection?

Dabbs Diagnostic Immunohistochemistry, 3rd edition (e-book), Harvard Business Review (available through EBSCO), and WHO Pathology Books (print reference).

6. How long have you worked there?

11 months.

7. Do you have an MLS and if so, what school did you receive your degree from?

Yes, I’m a 2010 graduate from the University of Washington iSchool.

8. What’s the strangest information request you’ve received?

Who invented the mobile mammogram?

9. What databases do you subscribe to?

ProQuest Datastar, Web of Science / Knowledge, EBSCO Business Source Corporate, Cochrane Library, SciFinder, and many more.

10. Have you always been a “Solo”, or did you become one due to organizational change?

The position here has always been solo, but I came from academic libraries, so it was a real adjustment.  Luckily, there are a few other Roche librarians around the world that I can connect to.

11. Is the library an independent part of your organization, or do you report into a larger department?

I’m independent, but I report to the Head of Medical and Scientific Affairs.  He is a big library supporter.

12. What do you do to market yourself as a librarian within your organization?

New Hire Orientation is where I meet the most people.  I also walk around the office and attend some meetings to give a face to the virtual library.  I send out announcements in the company newsletter and I also speak up at all employee meetings.  I always talk about the library.

13. Are you involved in any “non-library” activities in your organization? If so, what are they?

I recently joined the activities committee, I attend the Zumba class weekly, and I volunteer at company events.

14. Do you currently (or plan to) have any library-themed tattoos?

No way, my grandma would kill me.

15. As solos, we don’t have the luxury of walking down the hall to talk to librarian colleagues. When you have a problem, need advice, or simply want to talk shop, where are some of your favorite places to go?

Oh man, good question.  I usually check the library blogs and listserv archives, and then I will e-mail colleagues from my previous library workplace.  I will also pick up the phone and call the librarian I replaced.  She gives me good advice.  Pathologists and admins are also great at answering questions.  Sometimes I just say I don’t know and let it go, but if it is critical, I try to find a good answer.

16. Read any good books lately?

Yeah, David Truer’s Rez Life was excellent!

17. Name one of your guilty pleasures.

Dark chocolate, Haribo, and Mac and Cheese.

18. What kind of music do you like?

At work I listen to KEXP Seattle, at home I listen to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Mumford & Sons, Lizz Wright.

19. What are your hobbies outside of work?

Hiking, traveling, watching sports, volunteering with Pima County Public Library Bookbike, and being a Big Sister with Big Brother Big Sisters.

20. What would be your ideal vacation? Have you done it, yet?

I would love to take a trip to Alaska and work on a fishing boat, travel to Bolivia, or go to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.  I’ve not yet done any of these, but I’m saving for the World Cup 2014.

While librarians are great at lots of things, one activity that we particularly excel at is asking questions.  Another way that we will be getting to know our fellow Solos is through “20 (or so) Questions” posts that we will be putting up regularly.  Laurie Calhoun has graciously agreed to be our first victim… I mean question-answerer.  Read on for both library- and non-library-related information…

1. Describe the work done by your employer and how you support the
organization’s mission.

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a global research
institute with headquarters in Washington, D.C., and regional offices in Nairobi,
Kenya, and New Delhi, India. We also have a project office in Mumbai. ICRW
is comprised of social scientists, economists, public health specialists and
demographers, all of whom are experts in gender relations. ICRW’s mission
is to empower women, advance gender equality and fight poverty in the
developing world. To accomplish this, ICRW works with partners to conduct
empirical research, build capacity and advocate for evidence-based, practical
ways to change policies and programs. We produce research on topics such
as gender-based violence, engaging men and boys, economic empowerment
(including agriculture and property rights), reproductive health and population,
child marriage, adolescence, HIV stigma, and others. I support this mission
by assisting the staff with all of their research needs through managing the
collection, tools, subscriptions, and inter-library loans, negotiating with vendors,
providing training on tools, consulting on and doing literature reviews, responding
to reference questions, providing historical data and publications, and numerous
other functions.

2. What percentage of your collection is electronic?

I don’t know exactly, but it’s still very small. The vast majority of our journals are
electronic and we have thousands of PDFs of research articles and publications,
but at present we have no ebooks and over 13,000 print books and grey literature
publications which are still heavily used. We are more like a special collection in
an academic library (although we are a nonprofit think tank with no connection to
any university) than like many corporate or government special libraries, so books
and monographs are still needed. Our niche subject areas also aren’t yet well
represented in ebooks and as a small nonprofit we can’t afford to buy big collections
of them. Many of our staff have ereaders and travel for weeks at a time, so it would
be great if we could add them to the collection soon. I’m interested to learn more
about how other solos are incorporating them in their collections.

3. Describe the services that you provide to your patrons.

I provide all the traditional library functions like basic reference, collection
development, database development and searching, training, inter-library
loan, document delivery, Intranet links to our resources, and also do research
consultations, literature reviews (when I can carve out the time required),
bibliographies, manage our archives, and manage some knowledge management
of ICRW resources. Mostly I try to save the time of the overworked researchers by
filtering information via many, many alerts and tables of contents, and proactively
sending them customized, relevant material and saving it for future reference. I also
do news summaries and trend monitoring. I consult with them on their research
and continuously assist them in building our collections and awareness of free
and low-cost tools. In addition I manage several knowledge management tools
including a networked bibliographic citation system and research repository with
15,000 citations to works in our subject areas. This system grew out of an internal
innovation fund which was managed by staff and it was selected by them in a
competition of proposals also submitted by staff. It has proven to be a popular and
time-saving tool for me and everyone. I add to it everyday and regularly train staff on
it. It is used far more than our traditional catalog.

4. How many patrons do you serve?

About 50 in DC, 30 in India, and 1 in Kenya.

5. How long have you worked there?

6 and a half years.

6. Do you have an MLS and if so, what school did you receive your degree from?

Yes, from Catholic University of America.

7. What databases do you subscribe to?

JSTOR and Science Direct. We use Popline, PubMed, and Google Scholar a lot
too and are grateful for any free tools.

8. Have you always been a “Solo”, or did you become one due to organizational
change?

I’ve been a solo most of the time in this position, although before the recession
there was a planned position reporting to me in the budget for the FY 2009 year
which was later eliminated and I had a long-term temp whose funding was cut. In
my previous library position I was a director with 2-3 staff for seven years.

9. Is the library an independent part of your organization, or do you report into a
larger department?

I report to the Chief Administrative Officer in the Operations department, but am also
a member of the Research and Programs department.

10. What do you do to market yourself as a librarian within your organization?

Sorry this is verbose and I’m not sure that these all constitute marketing, but these
are all things I do to show and tell how I can help. I do a one-on-one orientation
with all the new staff in DC and try to contact the new staff abroad to introduce
myself and my services, (and the library is in the main navigation of the Intranet so
it has some prominence there). We are so small that I can talk fairly often to most
everyone about their needs, attend all the subject matter team meetings, and attend
some researchers’ meetings when they launch projects (or if I am embedded on the
project). We also have a journal club to discuss new research articles for which I
recommend articles and I attend meetings. I make announcements or presentations
in staff meetings when relevant. I interview the Indian and Kenyan staff when they
visit so that I can better assist them.

In addition to items already mentioned, I proactively send relevant research articles
and relevant news to various teams on staff including operations and business
development, as well as new book/journal announcements and suggestions of
places to publish (calls for papers, etc.) or potential partners. I also circulate event
announcements, so I am in their e-mail regularly. The library services are included
in proposals and RFPs as part of our capability statement. . I also do periodic
polls in Outlook and Survey Monkey about library services and there is pretty high
awareness of what tools and services we have. I used to do library week displays,
quizzes, and giveaways, but our staff are so busy that few took part, so I stopped.

The library serves as the public gathering space where people can eat lunch (it’s
adjacent to the kitchen) or get away from their cubicles and we always have M & Ms
there for chocolate breaks (there is very high foot traffic due to this which I started
when we moved to this location). I have a display of staff peer-reviewed publications
right next to the kitchen for high visibility. The library is a “selling point” for visitors
(board members and high profile supporters like Ashley Judd often check it out, as
do attendees at various brown bags and events) and our tenants (we lease space
internally to several smaller NGOs). Sadly many development organizations don’t
have libraries, so visitors are surprised and usually excited at its existence.

I don’t think the issue is marketing per se, but better understanding of what I can do
for them which is harder to capture succinctly, but they seem to understand better
through seeing vs. telling. Now that our staff has shrunk some due to the economic
crunch they are more inclined to use my services in whatever way they can since
they are short-staffed. I’m always interested in hearing what other solos do to market
themselves and show their added value.

11. Are you involved in any “non-library” activities in your organization? If so, what
are they?

I guess this depends on your definition of “library” activities which is growing
and changing all the time. I am in charge of some knowledge management or
communications initiatives like our networked bibliographic citation software with
our 15,000 research citations and many PDF links and our database of staff (i.e.
peer-reviewed) and organization publications. I manage the internal communication
and public displays of these publications and help produce biannual lists of our
publications for the board and funders. I also share new publications with some
funders and portals and maintain our print archives. I disseminate a gender and
development news summary to staff several times a week. I assist with identifying
business development and prospect research opportunities and contribute to
proposals. I respond to inquiries that come to a public mailbox on the web site. I
suggest items for our Facebook page and tweets.

In a small organization like ours duties are constantly evolving and we all need to be
hands-on with all sorts of unexpected tasks. On occasion I attend external meetings
for staff when they can’t attend and need someone from the organization there. I
have also hosted visitors including groups of students. I manage a used clothing
drive each fall.

12. Do you currently (or plan to) have any library-themed tattoos?

Definitely no tattoos now or in the future.

13. As solos, we don’t have the luxury of walking down the hall to talk to librarian
colleagues. When you have a problem, need advice, or simply want to talk shop,
where are some of your favorite places to go?

I belong to a few small, but super helpful groups of librarians in DC and globally
(besides the Solos and DCSLA) who can be sounding boards and great advisers.

One of these is APLIC-I http://www.aplici.org/ which is a network of information
professionals in the areas of reproductive health and population. I have served on
their board and they are a wonderful group. Another great group is an informal group
of DC library managers whose organizations work on international topics. Of course,
I also use SLA forums and LinkedIn groups and attend quite a few DCSLA events
and webinars where I get great ideas and help.

14. Read any good books lately?

I am a mystery addict and right now I am immersed in the Louise Penny Inspector
Gamache series which so transcends the mystery genre that I recommend it to
everyone without reservation. She is an extremely talented writer and her characters
will stay with you for a long time.

15. Name one of your guilty pleasures.

Dark (i.e. high cacao percentage) chocolate – a little bit everyday. I lived in
Switzerland for a year and got spoiled. I am no longer a fan of milk chocolate.

16. What kind of music do you like?

Opera and classical music, classic rock, and some jazz.

17. What are your hobbies outside of work?

Opera and concert-going most of all. In addition I love going to DC’s mostly free
museums. I also am something of a foodie and love eating out, cooking, visiting
wineries, and sampling wines.

18. What would be your ideal vacation? Have you done it, yet?

You will sense a theme here. I have been lucky enough to enjoy my ideal vacation a
few times in Italy, France, and the U.S. I love to stay in a rental house or apartment
for at least a week or more in a beautiful, rural or semi-rural area (sometimes on a
farm or near farms and vineyards – in Italy they call it Agroturismo) in a place where
I can cook and try local foods and wines and take day trips to the surrounding area/
sights. You live more like a local and have a chance to really unwind and relax when
you stay in a home for an extended period.