Kris Baughman received her MA in library science from the University of Missouri, Columbia. She has taught middle school and high school and was the circulation department supervisor at Rockhurst University, in Kansas City, before becoming an elementary school media specialist with the Raytown, Missouri, C-2 School District. Kris is a member of the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Greater Kansas City Association of School Librarians, for which she chairs the KC3 Reading Award Program for third-grade students in the Kansas City area.
Kim Becnel is juvenile services coordinator for Union County Public Library in Monroe, North Carolina. She holds an MLIS and PhD from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. Kim has a personal essay in Contemporary American Women: Our Defining Passages (ATTMP, 2009) and has authored several volumes in Bloom’s How to Write about Literature series (2008–2011) and The Rise of Corporate Publishing and Its Effects on Authorship in Early Twentieth Century America (Routledge, 2007). Kim also contributed chapters to The Frugal Librarian: Thriving in Tough Economic Times (ALA, 2011).
Sian Brannon is technical services manager for the Denton Public Library, Denton, Texas, where she is responsible for technology, systems, interlibrary loan, statistics, acquisitions, cataloging, and circulation for the entire system. Sian believes there is a big difference between good managers and good supervisors. She is working on her PhD at Texas Woman’s University with an emphasis in public library statistics.
James B. Casey has been director of the Oak Lawn Public Library, Chicago, since 1992. He holds a PhD in librarianship from Case Western Reserve University, MLS from SUNY Geneseo, and MA in history from Cleveland State University. He has worked in public libraries since 1973, served four terms on the ALA Council, and received the Librarian of the Year award from the Illinois Library Association in 2005.
Melissa J. Clapp is coordinator of instruction and outreach at Humanities and Social Sciences Library West, University of Florida in Gainesville. She earned an MA in English from Northern Illinois University and an MS in information studies from Florida State University. Melissa joined the University of Florida faculty in 2006, where she now coordinates the university library’s mentoring program with the University Writing Program, working closely with the dean of students office in library outreach.
Janice Derr is a circulation librarian at Booth Library, Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. She has an MLS from the University of Missouri–Columbia and an MA in English from Eastern Illinois University. Previously she worked in reference services at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. Janice has presented at conferences in Illinois on a variety of topics, including interlibrary loan use patterns, student worker performance in access services departments, and creating successful freshman orientation programs, and she has published in the Journal of Access Services.
Barbara Fiehn is assistant professor of library media education at Western Kentucky University. She earned her EdD from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. After thirty years as a school librarian, library consultant, and media services coordinator, Barbara taught in library media education programs at Northern Illinois University and the University of Minnesota at Mankato. She has published a series of library automation articles in Multimedia and Internet@schools and “TQM-Continuous Improvement in the School Library Media Center” in Educational Media and Technology Yearbook. A member of ALA, Barbara serves on the Intellectual Freedom committee.
Holly Flynn is the mathematics/statistics librarian at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Since earning her MLIS from Wayne State University in Detroit, she has published in the Journal of Library Administration and the online component of Library Journal. As a member of the Michigan Library Association, Holly leads a pilot Community of Practice on work/life balance issues for librarian/parents. She is also a member of the Special Libraries Association, where she has presented on the value of creating job manuals.
Jeffrey A. Franks has been associate professor and head of reference at Bierce Library, University of Akron, Ohio, since 1995. He obtained his MLS from Kent State University. Jeffrey is a member of ALA and the Academic Library Association of Ohio. His publications, which reflect his acute interest in innovative reference models and learning commons, have appeared in E-JASL (Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship), Reference Librarian, Journal of Educational Media, and Library Science.
Michael Germano is the library faculty member at California State University, Los Angeles, dedicated to the College of Business and Economics, with a primary focus on teaching courses in financial information literacy as well as business information for decision making. He holds a law degree from Temple University and a master’s degree in information science from Simmons College as well as an MA in English from New York University. Prior to Joining California State’s faculty, he worked at LexisNexis in a variety of sales and marketing positions.
Vera Gubnitskaia is youth services manager at Orange County Library System, Orlando, Florida. She obtained her library degrees from the Moscow Institute of Culture (Russia) and Florida State University. Vera has worked as a librarian, a manager, and a library consultant in public and academic libraries. Her articles describing community partnerships with public schools and Head Start groups appear in Librarians as Community Partners: An Outreach Handbook (ALA, 2010). Vera has presented at several conferences, including the Florida Library Association and Florida Literacy conferences. She is on the Florida Library Association Awards Committee.
Colleen S. Harris is associate head of access and delivery services at the North Carolina State University Libraries in Raleigh. She holds an MSLS from the University of Kentucky and an MFA in writing from Spalding University. Colleen prides herself on motivating library staff to excel at providing public service. She has published extensively on library management and staff development and has presented at ALA, Internet Librarian, and Computers in Libraries meetings. Her book Development on a Budget: A Practical Guide for Librarians is expected from Chandos in 2011.
Lynn Hawkins is executive director of the Mentor Public Library on the shores of Lake Erie, Ohio, the 2010 Mentor Chamber’s Organization of the Year. She obtained her MLS from Kent State University. Lynn is coauthor of High Tech, High Touch: Library Customer Service through Technology (ALA, 2003) and author of numerous articles on library collaborations and board-director relationships. She has also presented at state and national library conferences. During her tenure as director of the Mooresville Public Library in Indiana, the library received the 2004 Outstanding Indiana Library Award.
John Helling is director of the Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library in Bloomfield, Indiana, and president of the board of directors of the Greene County Literacy Coalition. Previously he was a senior librarian at the Aguilar branch of the New York Public Library. John obtained an MLS from Indiana University, where he currently teaches a course in public library management. He has published an article and numerous book reviews in Library Journal.
Suzann Holland is director of the Monroe Public Library in Wisconsin. She earned both an MLIS and an MA in history from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Her previous writings have appeared in VOYA, Public Libraries (2010 Winner of Public Libraries Feature Award), The PLA Reader for Public Library Directors and Managers (Neal-Schuman, 2009), and Local and Regional Government Information (Greenwood Press, 2005). Suzann is currently working with the permission of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Estate on her first solo book, The Little House Literary Companion.
Susan Jennings is an assistant professor and lead desk services librarian in the Belk Library and Information Commons at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. She holds an MS in information science from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a BA and MA in history from Appalachian State University. Susan has worked in academic libraries for almost eighteen years. Her honors include being in the 2010 class of ALA’s Emerging Leaders Program. Susan has published articles in Tennessee Libraries.
Ken Johnson is an assistant professor and coordinator of the learning and research services team in the Belk Library and Information Commons at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He holds an MLIS degree from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and an MBA from Appalachian State University. Ken has served as team coordinator since 2008 and has ten years’ experience as a business librarian at Drexel University and Appalachian State. He has published articles and book reviews in the Journal of Business and Finance Librarianship.
Jason Kuhl is manager of information services at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He received his MS in library and information science from the University of Illinois and is a member of the ALA and Illinois Library Association. Prior to accepting his current position, he held various branch management positions with the St. Louis County (Missouri) Library. Ken actively seeks innovative ways to promote library services in his community, once even incorporating a raccoon puppet into a Rotary Club presentation.
Terry Ann Lawler is an assistant manager/children’s librarian at the Phoenix Public Library, at the Palo Verde branch since 2008. She obtained her MLIS from the University of Arizona. Terry Ann is a member of the ALA and PLA. She has reviewed many books, audiobooks, and educational DVDs for Library Journal and School Library Journal. Terry has designed and presented programs at PLA, the Oregon Library Association, and Phoenix Public Library and has been recognized locally and nationally for her work with children and disconnected youth.
Erin O’Toole has been graduate library assistant coordinator at the University of North Texas Libraries, Denton, since 2004. She obtained her MLS from Texas Woman’s University and is a member of ALA and the Texas Library Association. Erin’s writings have appeared in Public Libraries and Public Library Quarterly, and she contributed to Encyclopedia of Time: Science, Philosophy, Theology, and Culture (Sage, 2009). She is a science reviewer for Educational Media Reviews Online and a frequent presenter on the topics of science fair reference and collection development for school and public libraries.
Rebecca Marcum Parker earned her bachelor’s degree in English and library science education and MA in literature from the University of Central Missouri. Formerly a bookmobile librarian, she has twelve years’ experience as an inner-city school librarian, currently at Satchel Paige School in the Kansas City, Missouri, School District. She is a member of the Isak Federman Teaching Cadre of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, the Missouri Association for School Librarians, and the Greater Kansas City Association of School Librarians. She is a Kansas City Star columnist.
Alice B. Ruleman is access services librarian and assistant professor of library science at James C. Kirkpatrick Library, University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. She obtained her MLS from Emporia State University and is currently working on an MS in educational technology. Alice is active in the Missouri Library Association and MOBIUS. She has served as director-at-large and is currently the vice president of the board of the Association of Christian Librarians and is on the editorial team of the journal Christian Librarian.
Seamus Scanlon is the librarian of the Center for Worker Education— the downtown campus of City College of New York. He holds a first-class honors BS from University College Galway, a library science master’s from Thames Valley University, London, and an MFA from the City College of New York. He previously worked in universities in Cambridge, Southampton, Belfast, and Galway. For his work at the Center for Worker Education he won a 2009 I Love My Librarian Award sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation and New York Times.
Robin Shader is the deputy director of Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, headquartered in Columbus, Georgia. She obtained her MLS from Rutgers University and has published articles in School Library Journal, ALA APA’s Library Worklife, and the ALA Learning Round Table newsletter, LearningExchange. Robin is a member of ALA, PLA, LLAMA, ALA Learning, and the Georgia Library Association. She is a 2003 graduate of the New Jersey Library Association’s Emerging Leaders program. She is currently facilitating a leadership program called CVL Leads! to grow and inspire the next generation of library leaders.
Roxanne Myers Spencer is associate professor and coordinator of Western Kentucky University Libraries’ Educational Resources Center. She teaches collection management as an adjunct in WKU’s Library Media Education. Roxanne earned an MSLS from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and an MAEd from Western Kentucky University. From 2004 to 2008 she was involved in an international school library exchange project with a private P–12 school near Barcelona, Spain, which led to her article “Developing Library Classroom Children’s Collections in English for a Catalunyan Private School” in Collection Building. Roxanne reviews young adult fiction, nonfiction, and multimedia for School Library Journal.
Geoffrey P. Timms has been electronic resources/web/systems support librarian at Mercer University’s Jack Tarver Library, Macon, Georgia, since 2007. He received his MLIS from the University of South Carolina. Geoff is a member of ALA and ACRL. His work has appeared in Georgia Library Quarterly and Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, and he has presented on managing access to e-resources at ALA Midwinter and the Charleston Conference in 2009. Geoff is currently working on streamlining and semi-automating periodical evaluations.
Bradley P. Tolppanen is the head of circulation services at Booth Library, Eastern Illinois University. Previously he held positions in reference services at the University of Louisiana, Monroe, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Bradley holds an MLIS from the University of Alberta and a master’s degree in history from the University of New Brunswick. He has presented at library conferences in Illinois and has been published in the Journal of Access Services, Internet Reference Services Quarterly, and Louisiana Libraries.
Lorette S. J. Weldon has been special library association project archivist, University of Maryland Baltimore County, since 2008. She obtained her MLS from the University of Maryland. Lorette has been webinar instructor and Board Professionals Newsletter editor for Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges and Records Manager Newsletter editor for the Society of American Archivists. She has articles in Computers in Libraries, Information Outlook, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges’ Trusteeship and has been a speaker at the Special Libraries Association 2009 and Computers in Libraries 2009 and 2010 conferences.
Kimberly Wells is assistant manager and circulation supervisor at the South branch of the Denton Public Library, Denton, Texas. She received her MLS from the University of North Texas and spent six years as a genealogy librarian at the Fort Worth Public Library. She currently serves on the ALA Reading List Committee and the Texas Library Association Lariat Task Force.
Ashanti L. White is an Academic and Cultural Enrichment Scholar pursuing her master’s in library and information systems at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has more than seven years’ experience in public and academic libraries. She previously earned a BA in political science and African American studies with a minor in philosophy and an MA in liberal studies with a concentration in world cultures. Her works have appeared in Black Enterprise, Third Wednesday, and Mandala Literary Journal among other publications.