Courtney McAllister

Position Statement

NASIG made a powerful impression on me when I was student member, and continues to shape my daily work and professional aspirations. In 2015, after spending a decade in a variety of paraprofessional roles, I enrolled in an online MLIS course. Taking the “scenic route” to librarianship meant that I had many doubts and uncertainties about what I could offer to the larger community. Professional organizations were an abstract concept to me until my advisor forwarded me some information about NASIG. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the existence of a student member status gave me hope and made me feel legitimate from the outset.

The NASIG community quickly became an instrumental part of my transition into librarianship. It was reassuring to hear people discussing familiar issues that resonated with my work, while NASIG’s supportive culture made testing new waters seem more manageable. Engaging with NASIG gave me a feeling of belonging and a sense of purpose. While these experiences were very important to me, I am by no means special or unique. This was merely a manifestation of NASIG’s mission in action – a mission, which, I believe, functions as a firm foundation for organizational growth.

Over the years, I have directly benefited from NASIG’s dedication to fostering meaningful collaboration and dialogue about current and future challenges facing the information industry. I first volunteered to serve on a committee in 2018, and it would be a privilege to continue to serve both the organization and the community as a Member-At-Large on the Executive Board.

In particular, I would be keen to support existing initiatives, such as equity and inclusion, digital preservation, and mentorship. Ensuring fiscal solvency is also foremost on my mind. As a former student member, and early career librarian, I feel especially committed to expanding NASIG’s member through outreach and recruitment, ensuring prospective members are aware of NASIG and what it has to offer. I would like to see membership grow and diversify, so that as many people as possible can be exposed NASIG’s rich, transformative offerings. In turn, the inclusion of new member perspectives will shape the organization and inject new ideas and approaches into the community.

Throughout the information industry, there have been seismic shifts in how we approach, define, and evaluate our work. I believe NASIG is positioned to provide cohesion in this highly fractured environment. However, the organization itself may need to adapt to face the implications of some of these new trends and developments. While writing my recent book on change management, my appreciation for learning organizations grew stronger. I would relish the opportunity to be involved in supporting NASIG’s growth and ensuring it functions as a learning organization that evolves without losing sight of its shared vision.

I would consider it an honor to serve as a Member-At-Large and leverage my experiences as a student member and early career librarian to explore and implement new opportunities for NASIG to expand its relevance and impact. NASIG Highlights Member since 2015 John Riddick Student Grant recipient (2017) Student Mentoring Program participant (2017-18) Conference Proceedings Editor (2018 - present) NASIG Presentations: [Presentation] An Implied Competency: Mentorship in Collections & Resource Management (with Kirstin Steele) – 2019 [Presentation] “Why don’t faculty & staff use what we have?”: Integrating Technical Services into Liaison Activities – 2019 [Poster] What Academic Libraries Can Learn from Public Libraries: Services, Spaces, and Community – 2018 [Presentation] Unboxing ILL: Dynamic Partnerships Between Resource Sharing and Technical Services – 2017 Education University of South Carolina: Columbia (US) University of Warwick (UK)/University of Amsterdam (NL) Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS) Master’s in International Performance Research Track: Information Science and Technology Thesis: The Dissenting Body: Power, Space, and Violence in ALA-Accredited Embodied Acts of Resistance 2015-2017 2008-2010 University of Mary Washington (US) Bachelor’s in English 2004-2008

Experience

Yale University, Lillian Goldman Library New Haven, CT

Electronic Resources Librarian October 2018 – Present

Under the general direction of the Associate Law Librarian for Technical Services, I oversee the e-resources lifecycle for the Law Library by establishing and maintaining intellectual control over content and assisting with resolving issues related to acquisitions, licensing, access, billing, and ongoing management. I recommend, implement, and assess workflows and strategies for e-resources acquisitions and maintenance. I work to maintain and manage productive vendor relationships with producers and providers of e-resources. As an information professional, I strive to ensure that library resources are as discoverable and useful as possible, and that print, electronic, and borrowed library collections work seamlessly to support accreditation, complement the curriculum, and meet the resource needs of each user.

 Manages, evaluates, and enhances the e-resource  Implements new workflows and updates lifecycle documentation  Serves on committees related to collection  Collaborates with Yale University Library personnel development, Open Access, and license review and teams to effectively manage resources and services  Coordinates and leads information sessions and  Works in tandem with other library departments to trainings related to library collections, systems, and improve e-resource discovery and access new trends/developments

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina Charleston, SC

Assistant Professor, Electronic Resources Librarian August 2017 – October 2018

As the Electronic Resources Librarian, I was embedded in the lifecycle of resources from initial request or research need to resource borrowing and lending, licensing and acquisitions, holdings management, training/marketing, discovery, authentication, usage and usability assessment, and, when applicable, renewal. I worked closely with vendors, content providers, and our consortial partners (Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries) to build dynamic relationships and high-quality collections. To cultivate an awareness of user needs and expectations, I provided one-on-one research instruction at the Information Desk and served as an operational liaison to non-academic departments, such as Career Services and the Academic Support Center.  Managed library systems and technologies related  Led all resource sharing services, including ILL, to ILL, web-scale discovery, authentication, and web consortial borrowing/lending, and Scan and Deliver services  Provided guidance on copyright, IP, and licensing  Proposed, designed, supported, and assessed projects  Troubleshot access and holdings problems  Oversaw all print and electronic acquisitions, associated with databases, e-books, streaming including purchase-on-demand and proactive video, serials, and other resources. collection development  Assessed library subscriptions, operations, and  Pursued usability enhancements and led library- workflows wide team  Conducted research, presents, and published on  Promoted library collections and Open Access library trends, technology, assessment, and change content through internal communication, marketing, management and liaison/instruction work  Helped manage and track collections spending  Hired, trained, and supervised GA and Work Study employees Support and Collection Services Manager July 2016 – August 2017

As the Support and Collection Services Manager, I managed resource sharing services and supported print and electronic acquisitions. I also began to engage in more complex tasks, such as subscription assessment, holdings management, and collection development.  Proposed, enacted, and supported Scan and Deliver  Assessed and enhanced resource sharing workflows service  Supported print and electronic acquisitions  Evaluated library subscriptions  Coordinated library-wide trainings on a variety of  Assisted Deputy Director with collection topics, such as grant writing and Government management and development tasks Documents Interlibrary Loan/Circulation Specialist October 2013 – July 2016

As an Interlibrary Loan and Circulation Specialist, I handled daily processing of resource sharing transactions, streamlined workflows, and assessed service efficiency. I provided customer service at the Information Desk and supported Circulation operations and projects.

Central Rappahannock Regional Library Fredericksburg, Virginia

Research Assistant/ILL Clerk August 2011 – September 2013

My primary responsibilities as a Research Assistant included answering a wide variety of patron queries related to information and technology needs. I also processed interlibrary loan requests, supported print collection assessment, and trained newly hired Research Assistants  Organized, promoted, and moderated a monthly  Reviewed 35+ books for the CRRL’s website library program for writers  Provided one-on-one instruction on how to use  Provided research assistance, technology assistance, ebooks, databases, and other digital components of and readers’ advisory services the library’s collections Computer Assistant October 2010 – September 2013

As a Computer Assistant, I managed the public use computer stations by coordinating access and reservations, performing daily maintenance of public computers and other library equipment, providing technology support and troubleshooting, and gathering relevant statistics and data. Non-NASIG Professional Presentations & Posters [Presentation] Applying Negotiation Strategies to Career Bargaining (with Erin Luckett, Austina Jordan, and Melissa Lockaby) Charleston Conference, Charleston, SC – November 2019 [Presentation] A Comparison and Review of 17 E-book Platforms (with John Lavender) Charleston Conference, Charleston, SC – November 2019 [Poster] Wrangling Weirdness: Lessons from Academic Law Library Collections (with Megan Brown) Charleston Conference, Charleston, SC – November 2019 [Presentation] GOALI: Providing Access to Legal Information in the Developing World OpenCon Philly, Philadelphia, PA – November 2019 [Webinar] Universal Parity to Resources: Rethinking Library Access (with Christine Elliott) LITA Webinar – July 2019 [Presentation] Check Out This Tech!: Modernizing Circulation Services and Kick-Starting Innovation (with Christine Elliott) Transforming Librarians through Technology Conference, Spartanburg, SC – May 2018 [Presentation] Beyond Cost Per Use: Exploring Multivariable E-Resource Assessment Charleston Conference, Charleston, SC – November 2017 [Presentation] Silo Busting: Adding Value through Resource Sharing Diversification (with Brandon Lewter & Renna Redd) Charleston Conference, Charleston, SC – November 2017 [Poster] Silo Busting: Adding Value through Resource Sharing Diversification (with Brandon Lewter & Renna Redd) Charleston Conference, Charleston, SC – November 2017 [Presentation] EDS Configuration Decision-Making: Lessons in Systems Thinking and Service Adaptation EBSCO User Group Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT – October 2017 Refereed Publications [Book] Change Management for Library Technologists: A LITA Guide, Rowman and Littlefield – September 2019 [Review] Women’s Suffrage Collection The Charleston Adviser, 20(3), 59-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5260/chara.20.3.59 [Chapter] Out from the Shadows: Transforming Technical Services during an Academic Library’s Reorganization Technical Services: Adapting to a Changing Environment, Purdue UP – forthcoming Non-Refereed Publications [Chapter] The Library as Laboratory: Using Makerspaces to Cultivate Organizational and Personal Creativity (with Christine Elliott) Creativity and Performance Growth for Librarians, McFarland – 2019 [Paper] Beyond Cost Per Use: Exploring Multivariable E-Resource Assessment Charleston Conference Proceedings – 2018 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284316690 [Recurring Column] Hot Topics Against the Grain – November 2018 – Present [Guest Column] Open Dialog: Preserving Open (with Chris Bulock, Column Editor) Serials Review, 45(1-2), 69-72. DOI: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00987913.2019.1627698 Service to the Discipline  Conference Director, Charleston Conference – • Associate Editor, The Serials Librarian – 2019 – present 2018 – present  Program Coordinator, Charleston Conference – • Editor, NASIG Conference Proceedings – 2017 July – December 2018 –present  Peer reviewer, National Endowment for the  Member, Collection Management and Acquisitions Humanities, Digital Humanities Grant – 2018 Working Group (Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries) – 2018  Member, Universal Borrowing Committee  Peer reviewer, Educopia Institute’s Library (Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Publishing Curriculum – 2017 Libraries) – 2014-18; Chair, 2015-16 Committee and Team Service  Member, License Review Team, Yale University  Member/Law Library Liaison, Open Access Library Libraries – 2019 – present Interest Group, Yale University Libraries – 2019 - present  Member, Collection Development Subcommittee,  Member, E-Content Management Librarian Search Yale University Libraries – 2019 – present Committee, Yale University Libraries – 2019  Member, Orientation Committee, Yale Law Library –  Member, Global Online Access to Legal Information 2018 – present Team, Yale Law Library – 2018-19; Chair, 2019 – present  Member, Innovation Council, The Citadel – 2017-18  Member, Guidon Working Group, The Citadel – 2017- 18  Member, Cadet Life Committee, The Citadel – 2017-18  Member, Staff Council, The Citadel – 2015-16  Chair, Usability and Technology Team, Daniel Library  Chair, Academic Technology Librarian Search – 2017-18 Committee, Daniel Library – 2017-18  Member, Print Collection Assessment Project Team,  Member, Makerspace Project Team, Daniel Library – Daniel Library – 2017-18 2016-18  Member, Assessment Team – 2016-17  Member, Technology Services Committee – 2016-17  Member, Archivist Search Committee, Daniel Library –  Member, Reorganization Executive Committee, 2016 Daniel Library – 2015-17  Member, Course Reserves Project Oversight  Member, Web Team, Daniel Library – 2013 Committee, Daniel Library – 2015-16 Professional Affiliations  NASIG (formerly, North American Serials Interest  LITA (Library and Information Technology Group) Association)  ALA (American Library Association)  PBK (Phi Beta Kappa)  SSP (Society for Scholarly Publishing)  LLNE (Law Librarians of New England) Awards and Grants  LITA/PLA AvramCamp Scholarship – 2018  John Riddick Student Grant, NASIG – 2017  Northwest Interlibrary Loan Conference Scholarship  Carlton R. Lutterbie, Jr. Award for Outstanding – 2016 English Major, University of Mary Washington – 2008  Erasmus Mundus Scholarship, European Union –  Hellbush Scholarship, University of Mary August 2008 – December 2009 Washington – 2007