One of our greatest joys at WiLS is hearing our members tell the stories of the big and important work they are doing – interesting new projects or initiatives, or even interesting and new approaches to old projects. And, in addition to hearing about it, it makes us even happier when we can share those stories with other members. Each month, WiLS is proud to feature an interview with one of our library members. This month, we interview Lisa Viezbicke, Director of Library and Archives at Beloit College and WiLS Board Member.
This interview is part of a series of interviews with both WiLS library and vendor partners. Your feedback is appreciated. If you have any to offer on this article, or suggestions for upcoming interviews, contact Andrea Coffin at acoffin@wils.org.
Why did you, personally, choose to work in libraries?
It has been a lifelong commitment – I volunteered in my grade school learning center and worked in various departments at the public library in high school and college. My college work-study position assisted the reference librarians and library director with preparation and evaluation of the library research skills instruction and assignments. I’d been mentored by librarians my entire life but it wasn’t until I returned to my local public library to add part-time copy cataloging work to my already busy full-time work schedule that their hints came together to suggest a path. In the quiet, after-hours of the TS workroom I realized how much satisfaction I received from facilitating learning, enrichment, serendipity, and information need fulfillment.
What is unique about the culture of your library? How do you influence it?
Many people retire from Beloit College Library – we have a long tradition of library directors, librarians and staff finding their ‘forever home’ here. The community within and beyond the library and the commitment to student development from all corners of campus lend an interesting mix of comfort and energy. That, combined with the continuous evolution (natural and engineered) of our work, work roles and opportunities it sometimes feels like you have a new job every four or five years.
What do you think is important to know about the patrons or community you work with? What helps you understand those needs?
Beloit students and faculty embody the language of the college’s mission statement – intelligence, curiosity, high achievement, personal responsibility and public contribution. As a residential college, we are part of the community. We know and support our faculty, students, and fellow staff members. Our library team is visible, approachable, and questioning. They attend student and faculty symposium presentations, work side-by-side with students in daily operations, and consult on and support projects and research, co-host events in the student run-bar
What big ideas are being worked on at your library? What problems are being solved?
We are actively working to capture, organize and preserve the born-digital components of the College’s culture and operations. A new digital archivist position and pilot repository have been established to ensure continuity of the institutional record as we find less and less physical documentation and communication in our daily operations. On another front, librarians and archivists, collaborating with our IT peers, are consulting on and supporting faculty-driven digital humanities projects. Our teams are engaging and exposing unique elements of our collections as they develop new skills and contribute to evolving forms of scholarship. Finally, with the recent release of the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy we are beginning a project to help faculty realize and assess information literacy outcomes in the context of campus developmental and learning objectives.