Introductions

ello Everyone,

Well I know all of you already from the last two classes but here we go again.

My name is Lauren Reynolds and currently I live in Bel Air MD, but I was born and raised in New York (the state not the city, you'd be surprised how many people confuse the two) but we moved her for my dad's job which was fine with me cause UVM's library science program is awesome. I recently graduated from The State University College at Oneonta with a Bachelors in English and my goal is to be a writer and a novelist. In edition I want to be a librarian because I love books and I love kids and I love history and working with old books and research, I actually worked an internship as an undergrad where I created a project display using the Early Textbook collection for the Archives and Special Collections department and loved it.

My favorite past time is to write, I love writing mostly novels and my favorite genre is urban Fantasy and magic/fantasy. That said I have two goals: i want to be the next Queen of Fantasy and I want to completely redo the Young Adult Literature section since I've found it to be consumed by paranormal romances and only a handful of good books. I can't stand cliches and as a writer I want to make an effort to write good unique stories that anyone can read and enjoy and that both make a point and inspire people to follow their dreams and do their best. I have a few projects in the works for that very ambition.

I am also an anime and manga nut. I attend outakon every year and love it to death! My favorites are Yugioh, Kyo Kara Maoh, Princess Tutu, Inuyasha and anything by Hayo Miyazaki. I've got a good list but like my books I have specific tastes when it comes to animes, books, movies. I like things with a good blood and great characters. I can't stand it when the characters are awful, and I am firm with characterization. To me the characters have to real and dynamic and they need a flow that makes them realistic and sympathetic. I also like realistic plots.
I absolutely HATE horror movies not because they used to scare me (they did when i was a kid) but because most of them are tacky, cliched, low-budget, totally stupid and are more gross or disturbing than anything else. So those annoy the hell out of me. I prefer the classics to be honest.

I also love history and mythology which is the inspiration for most of my writing: I love Irish, European, and Ancient Egyptian history and Ancient Civilizations. I find history very inspiring in this regard because its so interesting and filled with lots of twists turns and, my personal favorite, love affairs. Ancient Egyptian, Irish and Japanese mythology is my favorite but I love all cultures and myths and religions and they are very cool and interesting and have inspired a lot of my research papers, specifically the treatment and rights of women in history and in literature.

I also love music. Its my best muse. I have a lot of loves but recently I've been inspired by the music of Adam Lambert, Taylor Swift and many others.

Hello!

I'm Faith. I live in Baltimore and am currently the assistant director of admissions at Mercy High School, a small Catholic girls' school. Prior to this job, I was a defense contractor who did technical writing and program management for a software company in Fort Meade, but I'm happy to have moved on to a new field. I worked for the Baltimore County Public Library throughout middle school and high school, first as a volunteer, then as a page. My first full-time position out of college was as a circulation supervisor at the Towson branch. I also interned at the Maryland State Archives for a semester.

I graduated in 2009 with my undergrad degree in English from Washington College in Chestertown, MD. My primary professional interests (these days, anyway) are in communications--especially through social media (I definitely plan on checking out your book, Professor)--for schools and non-profits, teaching information literacy and writing skills to teens, and the intersection of new technology and traditional library science.

Hi all!

I'm Leann Rosenberg. I am originally from Long Island, NY, and came down to MD for college. I graduated from Loyola University in 2010 with a BS in Math, Psychology, Italian. Since then I have continued living in Baltimore, as I have really fallen in love with this city. I currently work full-time at the Bloomberg School of Public Health (Johns Hopkins University) as an assistant to a professor who specializes in injury prevention in low- and middle-income countries.

In the past I have worked part-time at both a small town public library, and at a university (our university, in fact) law library. I hope to pick back up with my work in public libraries, perhaps specializing in either children's or young adult services. I also would like to work in a more urban setting.

Because of my math degree, I was required to take slightly-more-than-usual courses in undergrad that were based in programming/computer science/computation programs. I always enjoyed these courses but am more looking forward to this class, where the information and programs will be more relevant to my current interests, and more useful in the long run!

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/bgprincipessa
I also have a "professional" Twitter but I have yet to tweet once on that, so I should probably work on it before sharing with others.

My name is Alexandra McCallen, Zan for short if you wish. I currently live in St. Mary’s County, but I have had the pleasure of living in Maine, Tunisia, California, Spain, and Florida (military family).

I received my B.A. is in art history (minor in museum studies) in Spring 2012, with additional course work in art conservation and anthropology. I have a strong interest in art librarianship, special collections, and rare books.

Currently I work at St. Mary's College of Maryland as a part time reference librarian. In the past I have been an archivist’s assistant (an extremely rewarding experience), an archaeological glass conservation assistant/artifact washer, and manned the front desk for an I.T. office.

Hi guys!

As you already know, my name is Emily Myers. (I've shortened my name to emyers on the forum, though, since there is more than one Emily in the class). I currently work as an archival intern at the Frederick County Historical Society. I love it! I'd like to pursue a career in archives and records management eventually, though I'd also be perfectly happy working in a university library.

Some random facts: I buy more books than I can read -- I'm especially big on philosophy and history. I love animals. I've been known to play video games more than occasionally. I'm getting back into running and hope to run either a 10K or a half marathon at some point this year. I love electronic and dance music, though I can't say I'm a big dancer myself. Go figure.

I'm looking forward to getting into the "information technology" side of the library science field. I'm not very good at math or computers, but I suppose that's what this class is for!

I also have a Goodreads account. Check me out on there if you want! www.goodreads.com/user/show/16746050-emily-myers

Hello! My name is Andrea Berstler, Andee to my family and friends. I always wonder what to write for these types of assignments that would be interesting.

I am a former educator who fell into library work when my kids went back to school and found my real home. The first library I worked in was small (3200 sq ft). I ended up as director there, went back to school and got my MLS from a local college. I have worked in libraries for over 12 years now and really enjoy the diversity and challenges. Currently I am the Executive Director of the Wicomico Public Library in Salisbury, MD. I am going back to school because my first MLS is not ALA accredited (which the state of Maryland requires) so I have an unusual perspective on things I am sure. I have enjoyed the discussions from those just learning the library world. It keeps everything fresh. I have every intention of staying a library administrator.

Additionally, I am the president of the Association for Rural & Small Libraries. This is a great organization that works to support those who work in, volunteer for and help govern small and/or rural libraries. We are in our 6th year and have found a real niche. Many of the libraries we support have small or solo staff who have little training, but are passionate about making information accessible for all.

I am a Philly native, but am enjoying life on the Eastern Shore. I love the Phillies and Flyers, Star Trek, old movies and anything with Daniel Craig in it. I love to cook and, unfortunately I also love to eat. My hubby and I have 2 grown kids who are now living their own lives in PA and two small dogs who run our lives.