Word to your mother.

I’m Jenny Emanuel, Digital Services & Reference librarian at the University of Illinois. I coordinate technology stuff for the Central Reference department, which lately has been brain numbing work putting webpages into a CMS. But I also get to play around with some cool things, like the Next Generation catalog initiatives at U of I and usability, which is probably my biggest passion. I don’t implement technology for technology’s sake, I do what the users want.

I’m also very active in ALA, so there’s my shover aura. Honestly I see ALA as a big, bloated, out of touch organization that I am incredibly frustrated with. So I got on Council (I’m the New Members Round Table rep) and the ALA Membership Committee (as an Intern). It took me 5 years in the profession to figure out WTF ALA does and how it does it (and I bet I’m still only scratching the surface), and so I’m passionate about getting newbies involved in ALA and helping them figure out “The System” to win friends and influence people. More about that forthcoming. I have plans.

Sorry, no pictures. I tend to keep those fairly private, my flickr feed is just travel stuff, no photos. But I think I’m the scrawniest one at ALA. You’ll know me.

My biggest recent accomplishment is that I learned how to knit socks. This will keep me endlessly entertained during committee meetings and allow me to live up to the library stereotype.