Talk to me about...Libraries and related subjects such as archives, museums and even zoos and aquariums. Also international librarianship. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has an upcoming World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Astana, Kazakhstan August 18-22, 2025. I am looking for other VLA members who are interested in attending the 2025 WLIC and proposing a presentation for VLA 2026 highlighting opportunities to connect with libraries in other countries and network internationally with other librarians.
Ukraine: I am a part of the local Ukrainian community in the Tidewater area. Regrettably, I did not learn Ukrainian from my grandmother, but I am learning it now and I would love to have you join our class at the Tidewater Ukrainian School. I visited Ukraine in 2017 and volunteered at a local school in Rivne for a summer camp with GoCamp Ukraine. If you are interested in grassroots opportunities to help Ukraine and send aid that goes directly to ensuring Ukrainian military units achieve success and remain safe, I can connect you to the right people.
I love to volunteer! I have volunteered extensively with both Christian ministries and secular organizations that are serving our community. I have served the homeless and international students visiting the US for the summer and I volunteer at the Virginia Zoo to name a few examples.
I am always learning new things. Currently I am attending a city employee civilian police academy where I get to learn from local law enforcement. I recently visited the National Law Enforcement Museum and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC. In January I will take a course in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) through Library Juice Academy. I also have in interest in Digital Humanities and looking at ways that DH methods and projects can be incorporated into public libraries. I am considering pursuing an MDiv and PhD in Church History in a few years and tying together my interests in Ukraine, digital humanities and LIS background into my thesis and dissertation and then seeing how those skills I develop can contribute to my work as a librarian even if I am not working in a special library.
- Master of Library and Information Science
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
- Master of Education in TESOL, Adult Education
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA
- Bachelor of Arts in International Studies
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
- Associates of Science in Biology
Tidewater Community College, Virginia Beach, VA
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