Q&A with Duncan Stewart

ILA’s past president and UI special collections catalog librarian

Q: How long have you been an active member of ILA?

A: I joined ILA in 1998 when I got my first professional library job as a cataloger at the State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City. I joined ILA because ALA was not affordable or vital to my job as a state librarian.

Q: List any positions or projects you’ve worked on for ILA

A:  When I joined, I volunteered to be a member of ILA Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC). I was a member for several years, assisting with ILA Lobbying Day at the State Capitol in the Law Library. Then I became chair of GAC and held that position for several years, working closely with ILA leadership and ILA professional lobbyists in Des Moines. ILA actually has a fairly powerful lobbying voice in the state legislature. Over the years, I have served on the ILA-ACRL board, as a member of the ILA Executive board, and as vice president, president, and now past president of ILA.

Q: How would you describe what ILA is and how it serves Iowa/Iowans?

A: ILA serves Iowa librarians, libraries, and librarians as the organized voice of the library community in the state. With 1500 members from every county of Iowa, we combine all types of librarians (teacher librarians, public librarians, academics, special librarians) into one strong group. This works well in Iowa because we are a small state and separate groups for every type of librarian would be impractical, though ILA does have subdivisions where like-minded librarians gather for professional development. ILA serves Iowa by explaining the need for and huge impact of state assistance to Iowa libraries through the State Library of Iowa. ILA has partnered with the State Library to ask for state financial aid for Inter Library Loan, making books much more available to participating libraries. ILA has worked to support and shape the State Library and the services it provides. But the best example of ILA benefiting Iowans is the statewide contract for Ebsco Host, the database of journal articles and news stories—the State Library, with ILA’s ongoing assistance, uses this contract to provide access (paid) to every library in the state. ILA has also been instrumental in garnering legislative support for ongoing access to Learning Express, which is a database of professional tests and educational materials available to all Iowa libraries.

Q: Please explain why, as a University of Iowa librarian, you joined and participate in ILA

A: I continued my membership in ILA, even though I also became active with ALA after being hired at UIL in 2002. I did this because I had seen the positive effects that ILA had on Iowa libraries, I enjoyed working with librarians from across the state and from many kinds of libraries, and because I am convinced that membership and participation in ILA is one way for UI librarians to fulfill the mission of the library and the university to serve the people of Iowa. UI librarians have had strong support for ongoing membership in ILA and have served at every level from committee member to president (I was ILA president in 2015). ILA benefits greatly from the commitment and energy of UI Librarians and would not be the same organization without us.

Q: What is something you learned through participating in ILA that you might not have learned at another conference or on-the-job?

A:  The most basic thing I learned as a member of ILA is the strength and diversity of the library community in Iowa and our power when we all work together. ILA includes para-professional staff members, state certified librarians without MLS, as well as MLS librarians. Together we span the spectrum of libraries in the state and cooperate to improve all library services. I learned that it is not only possible, but highly powerful to work with people of greatly differing backgrounds, job experience, and training. ILA taught me that there is strength in cooperation and numbers.

Q: What do you value most about your participation in ILA?

A: The thing I value most about ILA is the chance to meet, work with, and celebrate successes with librarians from across Iowa and from every kind of library. ILA is, at heart, the center of the Iowa library community. And I see my work in ILA as a direct contribution to serving the people of Iowa. ILA allows you to meet the citizens and librarians of Iowa that we are here to serve. ILA unites librarians, government, and library users into a force for library support.

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Q&A with Brett Cloyd

Active in ILA leadership and UI government information librarian

Q: How long have you been an active member of ILA?

A; I joined ILA as a student in the UI School of Library and Information Science in 1996.

Q: List any positions or projects you’ve worked on for ILA

A: I have been active in the Iowa chapter of the Government Documents Round Table (I’ve held all of the executive board positions) and the Iowa chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries (I’ve chaired the Spring Conference Planning Committee and held the office of President).  I am currently an Executive Board Member of ILA. I am also the ILA Membership Committee Chair for 2016. I have been able to gain leadership experience and make an impact on improving Iowa libraries.

Q: How would you describe what ILA is and how it serves Iowa/Iowans?

A: ILA provides learning and engagement opportunities for Iowa libraries and Iowa library staff.  We share best practices, inspiration as well as challenges via on-line communication channels, personal connections, and conferences. ILA advocates for Iowa libraries by way of its lobbyists and special events like the ILA Legislative Reception at the state capitol..

Q: Please explain why, as a University of Iowa librarian, you joined and participate in ILA

A: I felt that I could make a direct impact by way of my participation. It was very easy for me to become involved in the organization and I saw the benefits of gaining leadership opportunities and working with librarians from across the state. Service to the state has been important part of my work with a public university.

Q: What is something you learned through participating in ILA that you might not have learned at another conference or on-the-job?

A: I really appreciate my contacts with the State Library of Iowa. I see their dedicated staff at ILA events and I am able to learn about their interesting projects and share their work with students and faculty on campus.

Q: What do you value most about your participation in ILA? 

A: I really value my friendships with members of ILA. This is my 20^th year as an ILA member. I appreciate the variety of people I have met over the years. ILA has helped me expand my views of Iowa by meeting people from across the state.

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Q&A with Sara Scheib

Current ILA/ACRL president and UI Sciences librarian

Sara Scheib and ILA/ACRL

Q: How long have you been an active member of ILA?

A: I joined ILA as a SLIS student in 2006. I knew I wanted to get a job in a library in Iowa, so I wanted an opportunity to attend the conference and network with other Iowa librarians. Plus, ILA membership is free for full-time students, so it was a bit of a no-brainer. I joined the ILA/ACRL subdivision in 2008 when I got my first professional job as the Emerging Technologies Librarian at Kirkwood Community College.

Q: List any positions or projects you’ve worked on for ILA.

A: I was fresh out of library school and working in a community college library when I joined. I knew I had a lot to learn, so I joined the Community College Roundtable and the Iowa chapter of ACRL. Iowa ACRL was looking for volunteers for committees, so I volunteered for the Electronic Communications Committee. It was ideal for a first committee because it helped me stay on top of the subdivision’s activities and all our business was conducted electronically, so I didn’t have to miss work to attend lots of meetings.

The following year, Kirkwood was slated to host the subdivision’s annual conference, so I volunteered to work on the local arrangements for the Spring Conference Planning Committee. The same year, I was recruited to chair the Electronic Communications Committee. This gave me a vote on the Executive Board, which was an excellent group of librarians who really helped to mentor me. It was my first real leadership position, and I enjoyed my work.

After a brief hiatus while I worked in a rural public library, I knew I wanted to get involved again, so I returned to the Executive Board as chair of the Electronic Communications Committee in 2013. In 2014, I was nominated to be Vice President/President-Elect of ILA/ACRL. It’s a three-year commitment (1^st year – chair of Nominations Committee; 2^nd year – President; 3^rd year – chair of Awards Committee), so it’s not something I undertook lightly, but I knew it was time to step up and take a stronger leadership role in the group. I was elected in 2014 and spent my first year as Nominations Chair picking my team for the following year. This year, I’m serving as President. It’s a lot of work, but I have great team on the Executive Board and they make my job much easier. Next year, I’ll be the Awards Chair. That involves selecting the winners for scholarships and other awards, which should be lots of fun.

I’m also the Advisor to the Student Subdivision of ILA, which allows me to help library school students as they build careers of their own.

Q: How would you describe what ILA is and how it serves Iowa/Iowans?

A: ILA and ILA/ACRL serves Iowa/Iowans as a state-level advocate for libraries of all sizes and types. We help to make sure there’s a library staffed by a qualified teacher librarian in your child’s school. We help libraries conserve their limited budgets by making it more affordable for them to borrow books and other materials from one another. We provide access to valuable news, research, and job training materials to all Iowans by making sure every library has access to high quality databases like EBSCOHost and Learning Express. Finally, we are the primary professional development organization for librarians working in all kinds of libraries all over the state. We learn from one another so we can serve you better.

Q: Please explain why, as a University of Iowa librarian, you joined and participate in ILA?

A: I participate in ILA and ILA/ACRL because I recognize the excellent work my colleagues are doing at all kinds of libraries across the state and I want to learn from their experiences. And as I develop my own areas of expertise, I have a responsibility to share that knowledge and give back to the Iowa library community.

Q: What is something you learned through participating in ILA that you might not have learned at another conference or on-the-job?

A: While extremely valuable, the national-level conferences I attend as a science librarian tend to be very specialized and have a narrow focus. Sometimes, it’s important to get out of the corner you’ve painted yourself into and see what others are working on. I get some of my best programming ideas from public librarians. And my colleagues at small liberal arts colleges have some of the most engaging and innovative teaching methods. Plus, I get to meet and develop relationships with some of the most passionate, smart, and funny people in the state.

Q: What do you value most about your participation in ILA?

A: I graduated from library school less than 10 years ago. ILA/ACRL has given me the extraordinary opportunity to take on a leadership role very early in my career. By giving presentations, working on committees, planning conferences, and leading meetings, I have gained the skills and confidence I need to become more active within my own department and on the national level. This has been very advantageous to my career and I did it all while working to provide more opportunities to the citizens of my home state!

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

A: I encourage all librarians working in Iowa to get involved in ILA in some form. No matter what your interests or skills are, you can find your niche in ILA. It will be hard work at times, but the benefits you’ll receive and the relationships you’ll build will be worth it.