October is for travel

I have several trips this fall, similar to last year. It's not nearly as ambitious, but it's an equal amount of work. This year's trips include:

ALA Budget Analysis Review Committee - Chicago
Georgia Council of Media Organizations (COMO) Conference - Athens GA
ALA Executive Board Fall Meeting - Chicago
Penn State Commonwealth Campus Libraries Fall Meeting - University Park/State College

These trips are all between September 30 and November 10. I'm a seasoned traveler at this point, so to add to the challenge I'm trying to figure out how to avoid checking a bag for the first three trips. Like last year, I'll attempt to update more and take plenty of photos. Fewer trips might actually lead to some success.

Head Librarian

On September 20, I started a new position as Head Librarian at Penn State Greater Allegheny. The University Libraries completed a national search and I was the successful candidate. In a way it has been interesting to refresh my knowledge of the job search experience. I am very happy after the telephone interview and two full days of in-person interviews to be in this new role.

As the Head Librarian, I am responsible for all library operations and services. This includes staffing, budget, reference, instruction, and collection development. My staff includes an awesome reference librarian, one full-time staff member, three part-time staff, and several work-study students. Greater Allegheny is an exciting campus for me to head a department, and it's an exciting place to rethink library services and the idea of 21st century librarianship.

The most immediate excitement is having cake in my honor. Yes, it is as good as it looks. In fact, it might be even better.