ACRL/NEC 2010 Election – Meet the Candidates
February 14th, 2010 newseditorCandidates for Vice President/President Elect
Brian T. Gallagher
Hello, my name is Brian T. Gallagher and I am the Head of Access Services at the University of Rhode Island’s Robert L. Carothers Library and Learning Commons. I am one of the nominees for the position of Vice President/President Elect for ACRL/NEC. Why accept the nomination? Well, when I think of ACRL/NEC, three words immediately come to mind: fun, future and responsibility. Fun? Indeed. What could be more fun and exciting than meeting new colleagues, learning new ideas and, best of all, taking chances. Thanks to lessons learned with NELIG and lessons still being learned with ASIG, I didn’t have to chase after my future, I saw quite clearly where I needed to go. The most important lesson learned? If offered an opportunity to serve in a leadership position, it is our responsibility to that accept that offer, to draw new members in, to encourage them to have fun, to present them with clear view of the future, and to instill in them the sense of responsibility towards the chapter’s future.
Timothy Spindler
ACRL New England has served an important role in providing low cost and high quality opportunities for professional development and training. As chapter president, I would endeavor to strengthen this role by identifying opportunities to promote cooperation and collaboration within and outside of the organization. This can be done by working with partners like the state library organizations as well as other regional organizations like NELA. Each of the previous presidents have taken steps to improve and promote this kind of cooperation but I think its something that always needs continuous improvement. Therefore, I would strive to continue and build upon their efforts. I believe I can do this because of my experience with ACRL New England. I am the current co-chair of the communications committee, served as chair of ITIG, served on the conference committee, and currently serve on two taskforces so I am familiar with many of the past efforts of the organization.
Candidates for Secretary
Naka Ishii
As a member of the conference planning committee for the past few years, I have seen what a growing, dynamic organization ACRL New England Chapter is, serving the region’s academic library community well. If elected as Secretary and member of the Board, I will contribute my perspective, and yet more energy and ideas in pursuit of the interest of our members. I have spent 22 years in the profession, the last 15 as a science reference librarian at UMass Amherst. In that time I have primarily spent my volunteer time on our union, and to social justice issues, especially regarding access to higher education. I would now like to spend time helping ACRL NEC to be seen by its members as an active and responsive organization. I hope to work in concert with other members of the board to build strength, and focus on what our members most need.
Janice G. Schuster
I have been effective as secretary for the 2008-2010 term. I am eager to continue as secretary for another term in order to share my organizational and communication skills with ACRL/NEC. I have extensive experience both in drafting minutes and in performing other organizational tasks for various organizations and committees, including ACRL/NEC. My communication skills, both oral and written, are excellent. I am dependable and am willing/able to travel to the various board and other meetings.
Candidates for Member-at-Large
Hillary Corbett
In politics, in food, and in life, I choose to keep my focus on what’s local. So, when considering how I could best serve my profession as an elected board member, I thought of an organization with a strong regional emphasis: the ACRL New England Chapter. Even when people are relatively close together, good communication is crucial to maintaining the effectiveness of the group. My strong organizational and communication skills will serve ACRL/NEC well in the elected position of Member-at-Large, which has a special responsibility for maintaining the listserv and events calendar.
Beth Rohloff
As an active participant in ACRL New England since 2006, I look forward to serving the chapter as Member-At-Large. I first became involved in ACRL New England through attending NELIG, LOCI, and ITIG meetings. I served as the co-chair of LOCI from 2007-2008 and currently serve as co-chair of NELIG. As a special interest group co-chair I am a member of this year’s ACRL New England Program Planning Committee. I was also a member of the NELIG Annual Program Planning Committee in 2008-2009. Through my participation in ACRL New England Board meetings and my involvement in the chapter’s special interest groups, I recognize the importance of keeping our members informed of chapter activities through the ACRL New England listserv and calendar.
