My name is Dorothea Salo, and I work for the University of Wisconsin as a repository-rat and sometime adjunct library-school professor. I’m proud of the educational work I do, and that’s why I’m a Shover and Maker.

In 2007, I completely rewrote the course objectives and syllabus for what became “Digital Tools, Trends, and Debates” at the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies. Teaching a general-technology course in library school is a daunting proposition. Library-school students often complain both that they didn’t learn anything about technology in library school, and that what they did learn didn’t make any sense to them or wasn’t helpful.

While I’m not a perfect teacher, I have yet to hear either of those complaints from any of the forty-nine students who have successfully completed the course I revamped. I believe I sent them into the world with the confidence, adaptability, and can-do attitude that will make them better librarians, not just better technology mavens.

I educate in the course of my day job as well. I do my best to be an advocate to the libraries and the larger institution for open access, library-sponsored data curation, and social software, and while progress is slow, there has been progress.

Finally, I take my show on the road. I have worked hard in the last few years to hone my presentation skills, and while I still have room to improve, I’ve done work I’m proud of years later… and while I’m a slow and halting writer, I’ve proven I can get a message across.

We can all learn and grow — but learning and growing become much easier when there’s a boost along the way. I’m proud of helping people become better at what they do, and I believe that doing that makes all librarians Shovers and Makers.