Erica Reynolds and her daughter Cady promoting KC Science, INC

I’m Erica Reynolds, the Web Content Manager for the Johnson County Library, and I have been self-awarded the Shovers and Makers award based on the fact that I have assembled the best Web Content Team in the universe—this clever and wily team includes some famous Shovers and Makers like Mr. Neff and Mr. LaCrone. The rest of the team should nominate themselves, too, but they are probably too busy working. The fact that I get to work with 6 people who are solely dedicated to writing, filming, recording, photographing, posting, editing, digitizing, formatting and designing content and graphics for the Web is a dream come true. Now, I just need to utilize my deadly persuasive skills to convince the administration to re-purpose another position into a programmer who is solely dedicated to the patron interface of the library catalog, and all of our patrons will be transported to library heaven.

I’m obsessive about card sorts, paper prototypes and usability studies of all stripes, and I would run them every day if I had someone else to enter all the data so that I could just run studies and then sit back and bask in glow of analyzing spreadsheets, comments, navigation paths, and charts. When we redesigned the Library’s site, I documented all our studies and shared our measurement tools and results at: www.jocolibrary.org/usability.

I used to be driven and obsessive, but now I regularly phone it in and work luxurious 40-hour weeks as I prefer to spend time playing in the park with my daughter. She does her share for the Library, too, like helping to promote KC Science, INC—a smashingly successful community partnership we developed with an IMLS grant. KC Science, INC is a consortium of Kansas City area libraries, museums, parks, and educational organizations collaborating to help inspire natural curiosity and excite the public about all that is astonishing, beautiful, and spectacular in the natural world and the act of discovery. I firmly believe that a stronger connection between students, science and nature is paramount to our nation’s economic success and global environmental future, and I’m happy and proud to be the project director of this exciting partnership. Oh, and I really want one of those S&M buttons.