2008 WestPac Election - Secretary

I am honored to be running for the position of WestPac secretary. I have been a Law Librarian for almost 15 years and have enjoyed attending WestPac meetings more than any other. It was great fun to be part of the local arrangements committee for Las Vegas in 2006. I would love the opportunity to continue serving WestPac and to return all the wonderful hospitality I have enjoyed at WestPac meetings over the years.

My career in libraries began when I was only 14 years old. I worked at my local public library as a page. Over the years, my job evolved into a position as shelver, library card maker, trainer of volunteers, and at one point, temporary children's librarian. After deciding during my first year of law school that the life of an attorney was not for me, a job as a law librarian seemed a no brainer.

After graduating from Pace Law School in New York, I attended the University of Washington Law Librarianship program. I then became the Foreign and International Law Librarian at Ohio State University. Although this position was fascinating and rewarding, life in Columbus, Ohio was unfortunately less so. It is also very cold in Ohio. On a day of horizontal, freezing rain, I fatefully noticed a position opening at the brand new University of Nevada Las Vegas for a Reference Librarian. That was ten years ago and I have been here ever since.

I look forward to being able to serving an organization and membership that I have been honored to be associated with for the past nine years.

Greetings, Everybody!

I am happy to be a candidate for the office of WestPac Secretary. Some of my most enjoyable professional activities have been serving in WestPac.

Our former library director used to say that there were two kinds of law librarians: lawyers with library degrees and librarians with law degrees. I am definitely one of the latter! I love being a librarian, and I'm always telling the law students I work with not to discount librarianship as a career. I had the opportunity to have my 12yo son come to work with me on "job shadow" day, and at the end of it all, he wondered why I like doing what I do (I made him do some data entry work, so I guess his question was understandable*). I told him that what I do is fun for me because I get to solve problems, I get to help other people resolve issues they are facing, I get to work with lots of good people and I'm constantly exposed to new ideas and learning new things.

What's not to like?

One of the best things about being a librarian is the friendly and supportive professional associations we all develop. WestPac is a great organization, and I am so impressed with the quality of the people I have met by being a member. I would love to have the opportunity to serve as WestPac secretary, if you choose to elect me.