Also known as the Rabid Librarian, I am working part-time as a medical librarian at a charity children’s hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, and also part-time as a gas station attendant while searching for the elusive Full-Time Position.

I graduated with an MSLS from the University of Kentucky‘s Library and Information Science programme in 1993 (back when it was its own college) and I’ve been in my current position for 12 years. As part of my duties I oversee a medical library (as a solo librarian), an early literacy project (participating in Reach Out and Read), and a collection for families and patients who want to learn more about parenting, potty training, conditions treated, and education, to name a few.

This year is especially exciting because I am:

1. Updating the book collection of both the medical library and family resource centre through a wonderful grant
2. Migrating the online catalogue to LibraryThing, thereby saving my organisation, which is not-for-profit and relies on endowments to operate, money
3. Expanding access to electronic journals through a combination of a grant and a change in subscriptions vendor so that journals are available from a central location

I like to network with other librarians through the Medical Library Association, the Kentucky Medical Library Association, and various electronic lists and Web 2.0 sites.

I am very grateful to be a 2009 Shover and Maker and will do my utmost to carry forth in the tradition of that great librarian, Evelyn Carnahan-O’Connell.