You may have noticed that WiLS has some new faces among its staff. We are excited to grow our skills and improve our services by bringing new members into our team while also leveraging the experience and strengths that our existing team contributes. In the coming months, we will be sharing a little more about WiLS staff members, both new and experienced, in their own words.
This month, we talk with Melody Clark, Community Liaison and Service Specialist, who began working with WiLS in early 2016.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I have worked in or with libraries since my undergraduate days at UW-Milwaukee, but I have always had a passion for libraries and, especially, learning. It was working as an apartment manager and putting out fires (like literal fires – I even got to save a kitten once – ask me about that sometime; it’s a long story, but a good one) that I decided to go to library school.
I have predominantly worked with public libraries including a short stint at Milwaukee Public and then at Arrowhead Library System (ALS) for almost ten years as their first (and only) system administrator. After I left ALS I had the privilege of continuing to work with them to help them migrate to a new ILS system.
When I am not working at WiLS, I like projects, any kind of project. I like to build things, fix things, organize things, clean things, sew things, plant things, create things, etc. I am not content unless I am doing something, much to the frustration of the rest of my family, especially, my pup, Hilde. She just simply cannot understand why I have to rearrange the furniture or take a bookshelf apart to fix that weird wobble.
In addition to my obsession with projects, I spend a lot of time playing music. I love music and I love musical instruments. I play guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and piano. I don’t play any of them exceptionally well; I am mediocre at best. On the weekends I am a worship leader and have the honor of leading a band that is passionate about what they do.
What do you do in your role at WiLS?
I have the privilege of being a Community Liaison / Service Specialist serving WiLS members in consortia and project management. One of the things that I absolutely love is that my position has given me a whole new perspective of libraries. I now work closely with academic libraries where I didn’t have that pleasure before. I have learned that although there may be differences among types of libraries, there are many similarities. They all exist to serve their patron base, be it student, professor, or community member. They all wish to provide resources, access to information, and opportunities. They all seek to empower and educate their users. And I get to support them in that endeavor. I think that’s pretty cool.
Why did you make the decision to do this job?
The decision to move to WiLS was a difficult one. I left a great position working with truly exceptional people, but the call of WiLS was strong. The opportunity to grow and work with new libraries, organizations, and people while getting a more state-wide view was too good not to pursue. And I am so very glad that I did.
If money or capacity were no concern, what WiLS service would you implement or expand?
I would love to implement resources to help public libraries better support the elderly in their communities. I am honestly not sure what this would look like, but am frustrated and saddened by the way I see elderly treated by the current ethos. There are many cultures that revere, support, and care for their elderly. I think there is much we can learn from them.
What are you listening to or watching or reading right now that’s making you think?
I always read two books at once. One for pleasure and one to help me grow. I am currently reading L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and Austin Channing Brown’s I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Both, surprisingly, are making me think.
What do you see as a significant opportunity for our members in the next ten years?
There are a couple of things that come to mind. I think the most immediate and tangible opportunity for libraries is resource sharing. I know, not a new or novel thing but I am thinking about resource sharing on all levels. So many of our members are struggling with stagnant or declining budgets; I see resource sharing as a response to that. Many libraries share right now – integrated library systems, physical collections, ideas, etc. – but I think libraries will need to do more. I see shared repositories of open educational resources, shared staff, shared discovery tools, and unified access.
The other trend I think libraries and systems will need to adapt sooner rather than later is the ability to link data and resources using alternate formats to MARC. There are discovery tools now that do this, but the underlying formats and the way libraries catalog and describe materials will need to change in order to better provide unified access in a context-driven environment.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Always choose kindness.
Melody is awesome. Want to connect with her about a potential project or idea that’s floating around? You can! Send her an email at mclark@wils.org.