Librarianship

priority: connection

In more than 20 years of customer service, I've cultivated a philosophy of treating every patron as if it’s the first time they've ever been in the library, and every staff person as if our time together and our shared desire to excel at our jobs is paramount. Teaching computer skills to ESL learners and the elderly at Seattle Public Library, and teaching gardening to kids at Seattle Tilth, were amazing ways to connect with diverse populations. No matter what kind of patrons I'm serving, I naturally seek to facilitate connection. 

skill: management

For several years, I directed the work of student library employees at the University of Washington’s Odegaard Undergraduate Library in Seattle. Since that job was part-time, I also worked at a yoga studio, where I was in charge of every aspect of training and managing 17-20 volunteer staff. I began as a library clerk and a work-trade yogi at these places, but my natural ability to help a team come together soon earned me leadership roles at both organizations.

interest: history and culture

I learned impeccable historic research skills at the University of Washington Special Collections Library, where I handled, organized, digitized, and created metadata and finding aids for historic materials of all kinds. I'm keeping those skills sharp by volunteering at the National Building Arts Center, which preserves building artifacts. There, I've been able to offer services as wide-ranging as web design, choice of ILS, and conservation advisement.I've had a lifelong passion for architecture, graphic design, industrial design, and allied arts. 

outward focus

I relish stage-managing events, from the arts group I helped found in 1998 to the art openings I facilitated at UW’s Odegaard Undergraduate Library. The two-day training workshop I co-initiated at Odegaard was a massive undertaking requiring solid project management skills.  I am naturally inclined to help others -- peers and customers -- get their needs met. 

inward focus

I've always done freelance editing off and on, and have edited a handful of published books. My position at UW's Odegaard Undergraduate Library involved a lot of solo processing of reserve books and scanning of PDFs. At Getty Images, I synthesized vocabulary terms and applied them to photos, including the big-picture work of creating a data dictionary of these terms. I am inclined to dive deeply into solo projects as well as teamwork. 

overview

technical skills