Biographies and Statements submitted by candidates for Vice President of the KLAS Users' GroupNominee: Caroline Ashby, Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book LibraryBiography:Caroline Ashby was hired in 2009 as Senior Outreach Librarian at the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library in New York, NY. She had previously worked as Librarian at a neighborhood New York Public Library branch in the Bronx and as a Private Investigator. Taking lifelong learning to heart she is always honing new skills, most recently Spanish, quilting, and the art of cute cat photography. Other pastimes include roadtripping, and Caroline has driven to and through 40 of the lower 48 states. Caroline holds a BA in English from the CUNY Macaulay Honors College and an MSLIS from Pratt Institute. Statement of Purpose: I left the 2011 KLAS Users Conference, my first, inspired by the passion that members of the KLAS Users Group have for sharing best practices amongst one another and for improving the experiences of our patrons. It would be a pleasure and an honor to serve the KLAS Users Group and its officers as Vice-President this term. Exploring KLAS functions, queries, and reports is fun. Using what I’ve learned to save staff time and provide enhanced service to patrons is even better. That Keystone offers a Users Group, User Conference, and Top Ten, demonstrating their interest in helping us help our patrons, is icing on the cake. In my capacity as Outreach Librarian I’ve enhanced communication both internally and externally, fostering teamwork among our Reader Advisor and Circulation departments and partnerships with fellow agencies serving people with disabilities. I look forward to coordinating and communicating between KLAS users, officers, and Keystone staff. Nominee: John Phillos, Delaware Library Access ServicesBiography:John came to library work late in life after working in various other fields including: a corporate jet pilot, a blacksmith, an electrician, and a stint as a sailor in the US Navy, not necessarily in that order. He started working in public libraries in Delaware in the early 1990's and worked his way up to the position of director of the Delmar, DE public library before attaining his current position with the State Library. Upon being hired by the State Library in 2001, he was made the Regional Librarian for the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (now named Delaware Library Access Services (DLAS) and has held that position ever since. John's education includes an AAS in Human Services from Delaware Technical and Community College, a BA in Behavioral Science from Wilmington (DE) College and an MA in Information Resources and Library Science from the University of Arizona. Statement of Purpose:Because of my varied life experiences, I have always been able to interact with my patrons and co-workers from a point of common perspective. I believe this ability, along with the knowledge that I have gained working with Keystone for the last 10 years, will enable me to serve as Vice President of the KLAS Users' Group and to represent the users and facilitate discussions within the group on issues facing us as we move forward with the digital transition. Nominee: Teresa Kalber, Colorado Talking Book Library Biography:Teresa started with the Colorado Talking Book Library in 2007. Her official title is Network Systems Administrator, but that is just one of many hats she wears. Teresa serves as the KLAS Administrator and resident tech guru, is the lead worker for the Reader Advisors, attends outreach events, maintains the website, and helps develop processes and procedures for the library. Teresa received her degree in Computer Information Systems from Metropolitan State College in 2003 while working as an administrative assistant for the Colorado State Library. She has two daughters: the oldest is married and the youngest just graduated from high school. In addition she had a son-in –law and a fur child (a Cairn terrier). In her spare time she enjoys cataloguing her old pictures and memories (aka scrapbooking). Statement of Purpose: My main goal in working for CTBL has been to ensure patrons are receiving the highest quality service we can provide. Part of that goal is to understand and use KLAS in the most efficient way possible so staff has time to provide service to all patrons needing it. Our Users’ Group has a wealth of knowledge available for us to tap into on these subjects. As VP of the Users’ Group, I would love to facilitate discussion and training to allow network libraries to provide an even higher quality of service to our patrons.
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