We are excited to announce the RUSA Division and Section slate of nominees standing for election in 2014.

They are:

RUSA
Vice-President/President-Elect
Anne   Beaubien                   
Liane Taylor               

Director-at-Large
Danise G. Hoover
Stephanie Atkins Sharpe   
William A. McHugh              

BRASS
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
Julia A. Martin                       
J. Paul Brothers                     

Secretary
Arguello, Natasha              
Barsh, Adele L.                           

Member-at-Large
Dewland, Jason C.                 
Kenly, Patricia E.

CODES
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
Kownslar, Edward                 
Yue, Joseph                              

Member-at-Large
Wall, Patrick Joseph            
Rue, Charlene                          
Cobb, Jannie R.                      
Crosser, Cynthia                    

Secretary
Ferree, Curtis                        
Sonsteby, Alec                      

HISTORY
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
Murray, David C.                 
Wilke, Mary I.                       

Member-at-Large
Kitchens, Joel D.                    
Vaidyanathan, Chella           
Lupkin, Joshua M.                        

MARS
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
Coleman, Jason Matthew  
Scanlon, Donna                      

Secretary
Bishop, Chanitra                    

Member-at-Large
Houlson, Van                         
Torrence, Matt                             

RSS
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
Lentz, Crystal M.                   
Boozer, Donald E.                 

Secretary
Reinsfelder, Tom                   

Member-at-Large
Keough, Cathay                    
Yue, Joseph                            

STARS
Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect
McHone-Chase, Sarah M.  
Christenson, Troy Alan      
Bruno, Tom                             

Secretary
Moskal, Robin Barnard     
Mak, Collette Gurley          
Clausen, Beth                         

Member-at-Large
Gibson, Tess                           
Highham, Krista L.               

A heartfelt thank you to all above who are standing for election and donating their valuable time!

Susan Hornung

Executive Director, RUSA

RUSA 2014 elections slate of candidates

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) announces the following individuals as candidates for the 2014 elections:

Liane Luckman Taylor,  Continuing Resources Librarian, Texas State University
President-elect

Anne Beaubien,  Director, MLibrary Document Delivery & Grants Officer, University of Michigan
President-elect

Danise Hoover,  Associate Librarian for Public Services, Hunter College
Director-at-Large

Stephanie Atkins Sharpe, Head of Access Services, Washington University
Director-at-Large

William McHugh,  Reference Collection Management Librarian, Northwestern University
Director-at-Large

Janalyn L. Moss, American History Librarian, University of Iowa
Director-at-Large

Good luck, candidates!

From flight attendant to librarian: Q&A with Louise Feldmann, RUSA Director-at-Large

Over the next several weeks we will be highlighting members of RUSA’s Board of Directors. Take a minute and get to know our fantastic leaders!

Meet Louise, RUSA Director-at-Large. Not only is she business savvy, but she can deliver a baby at 35,000 feet! Want to chat about all things RUSA with Louise? You can reach her at the email at the end of this post.

Louise Feldmann
Louise Feldmann

Louise Feldmann
Business Librarian
Colorado State University

What are you currently reading or listening to?
Currently, I’m working my way through the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (so excited that a television series based on these novels is in the works!).  I just finished Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.  My reading interests are all over the place.  I love just browsing through our library’s literature collection and discovering gems!

What is the most interesting “reference” question you’ve ever been asked? (reference in quotes to allow for some flexibility in answering the question)
I’m a business librarian, so I get my fair share of “interesting” questions, from worm composting to motorcycle ownership in Pakistan.  I love a good, juicy reference question.  I can’t say I have one question that stands out; they have all been interesting!

Tell us about your current role at your library, and maybe a little bit about your career path, too.
I do the business subject stuff at Colorado State University Libraries – reference, instruction, and collection development.  I’ve been at Colorado State University for eight years.  Prior to coming to Fort Collins, I worked as a substitute adult reference librarian at Mountain View Public Library in California.

Describe a particularly rewarding experience in your library career.
Helping students is the most rewarding part of my job.  A few years ago, I assisted a team of business students with in-depth research on a company for a competition and they won!  They sent me a wonderful thank you letter.  It was great.  Thank you letters from students are fantastic.  I had one student tell me that I was like a rock star in the College of Business.  Brilliant!

Give one fun fact about yourself—can be personal or professional.
I was a flight attendant for 12 years and based in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Honolulu.  I have received training in how to deliver a baby at 35,000 feet!

Any hobbies?
I love to ski and travel.  I dabble in other things such as knitting, yoga, and painting.  Mostly these days, I drive my teen boys around to various activities!

Why did you join RUSA (and/or sections)?
I discovered RUSA when I started my academic librarian career.  I got involved in BRASS and through that discovered RUSA.

How has RUSA helped you in your career?
RUSA has helped me tremendously in my career, particularly via my participation in BRASS.  I’ve learned tons from colleagues across the country.  RUSA has provided invaluable learning and networking opportunities.

What are some of the RUSA activities you’ve participated in?
Most of my RUSA activities have been via BRASS.  I’ve chaired the discussion group and membership committee and served on the education and publication committees.  This past year I chaired the BRASS 25th anniversary party.

If you’re open to having RUSA members connecting with you directly, provide an e-mail address and/or phone number where they can reach you.
Absolutely!  Louise.Feldmann@Colostate.edu; 970-491-4262

Librarian by day, backup for Gorbachev by night: Q&A with Barry Trott

Over the next several weeks we will be highlighting members of RUSA’s Board of Directors. Take a minute and get to know our fantastic leaders!

Meet Barry, RUSA Ex-Officio member. He’s a lean, mean, guitar/banjo/mandolin/-playing machine! If you’d like to reach Barry and discuss RUSA and/or bluegrass, you may reach him at the email address listed at the end of this post.

Barry Trott
Digital Services Director
Williamsburg (VA) Regional Library
Editor, Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ)

Barry Trott
Barry Trott

What are you currently reading or listening to?
Re-reading Fred Chappell’s Brighten the Corner Where You Are; Listening to John Reischman’s Walk Along John.

What is the most interesting “reference” question you’ve ever been asked? (reference in quotes to allow for some flexibility in answering the question)
For me it is always the next question to come along. One thing I love about reference work in the public library is the wide variety of fascinating questions that come along over the course of a day on the desk. Everything that you read or learn about will at some point be useful to you in responding to a user query.

Tell us about your current role at your library, and maybe a little bit about your career path, too.
I have worked as a reference librarian, readers’ services librarian, and Adult Services Director before coming to my current role. Now, I coordinate library-wide projects dealing with the intersection of people and technology, including social media, library website, digital collections from ebooks to magazines to databases, and digital marketing tools. And I oversee Technical Services. Before going to library school, I worked for 12 years as a musician, and prior to that got my BA in Biology, so a typical reference librarian career.

Describe a particularly rewarding experience in your library career.
Being involved in RUSA has been one of the most rewarding things for me. I have been able to meet and work with librarians from all sort of libraries–public, academic, special, and school–and have learned a lot from all of them. That would not have been possible without RUSA.

Give one fun fact about yourself—can be personal or professional.
I have played music for and shaken hands with Mikhail Gorbachev.

Any hobbies?
Music, woodworking.

Why did you join RUSA (and/or sections)?
To have the chance to meet and work with other librarians who are passionate about what they do.

How has RUSA helped you in your career?
Membership in RUSA has given me great ideas, a place to share concerns and new thoughts on the profession, and introduced me to many folks who I count not only as colleagues but as friends.

What are some of the RUSA activities you’ve participated in?
CODES Readers’ advisory committee, several award committees, CODES Board, RUSA Board, RUSA President, RUSQ Editor, RUSA membership committee.

If you’re open to having RUSA members connecting with you directly, provide an e-mail address and/or phone number where they can reach you.
I am happy to talk to RUSA members, email at btrott@wrl.org