Jessica Keibler
Berkeley College, White Plains, NY
Campus Library Director
What’s your job like?
As Campus Library Director, I oversee the White Plains campus library’s daily operations, collaborate with our other 8 campuses on initiatives and ensure that we are meeting Library and College strategic goals.
What are some things you like about your job or working in libraries in general?
One of my favorite aspects of my job is talking to students about information and research. In our current information driven world, I enjoy introducing students to new skills and perspectives related to information. I recently spoke to a sociology class about fake news and we had a discussion that related it to information literacy and also the emotional/sociological perspectives of fake news behaviors.
What’s a project or committee you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?
I am currently working on a Berkeley College Virtual Reference Committee taskforce to study information literacy instruction in our LibChat services with a specific focus on the ACRL Framework. It’s been fascinating to see how our librarians incorporate IL instruction, and we are planning a set of best practices to help improve how we serve our students in this environment.
What got you interested in libraries?
As an undergraduate student, I studied elementary education but after teaching for a little while, I realized that my passion was more in helping students fulfill their information/curiousity needs and learn how to organize information.
What is one of your favorite things about NMRT?
Librarianship is such a vast field with so many areas of opportunity and sometimes it can seem difficult to know where to start. NMRT helped me to feel like a part of the field and provide entry points into areas of interest and meet new people.
Do you have any advice for other new librarians?
Ask for help & participate! Librarians love to help one another and your colleagues within the field are more than happy to help direct you or answer questions. If you’re unsure about what volunteering for a committee entails, you can ask the current chair or members and start to get involved to try new things.