"I love doing instruction. It excites me, because if I do my job correctly, a student will leave a class excited and empowered to critically consume information and approach research."
SLIS alumnus Willie Miller (MLS'10) has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 Outstanding New Librarian Award from the Indiana Library Federation (ILF). Willie has been the Subject Librarian for Informatics, New Media, and Journalism at the IUPUI Libraries for two years. He will receive the award at the ILF Awards Banquet in Indianapolis on November 13, 2012.
In an email interview, we asked him for an update on his job:
• Main Job Duties:
I am the Liaison Librarian to the IU School of Informatics and the IU School of Journalism at IUPUI University Library. I work with students and faculty in the schools in the areas of information literacy instruction, research consultation, and the acquisition of materials for the library collections in those areas. I manage the library materials budget for both areas and develop the collections with input from the Schools. I also lead University Library's Campus Outreach Group, which promotes library services and develops outreach programming for IUPUI students, faculty, and staff.
• Favorite Aspects:
Teaching. I love doing instruction. It excites me, because if I do my job correctly, a student will leave a class excited and empowered to critically consume information and approach research. I also really enjoy my work in library outreach and marketing. It is so fun to get students see how students relate the library and to have a role in shaping their opinions on the role the library plays in their educational life.
• Interesting Project you are Working On:
I just finished a study on teaching with iPads. I was a part of a faculty group on campus which had the ability to use iPads for in class instruction. My colleagues and I completed a study on students' perceptions of learning and engagement while using the iPads in class. We published some of our results in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
• Involvement with Professional Associations:
In the American Library Association (ALA), I just finished a term on the Conference Committee, and I was selected as a 2012 Emerging Leader. In the Association of Colleges & Research Libraries (ACRL), I serve on the Information Literacy Best Practices Committee. I am also a member of the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), Library Information Technology Association (LITA), Indiana Black Librarians Network (IBLN), and Indiana Library Federation (ILF).
Posted October 05, 2012