Candidate for Director for Member Services

Denice Adkins

Candidate’s Statement:

When I attended my first ALISE conference, I was cynical. I had become jaded from larger, more impersonal conferences with little emphasis on reflective practice. The ALISE conference was a welcome and refreshing change, and when it ended, I was inspired to become more active in the organization. Over the years of my membership, I have served on various SIGs and committees, and my ALISE participation has connected me with people who share my commitment to research, reflection, and teaching.

If elected, my goal for Membership Services would be to increase dialog between members, member segments, and ALISE Board of Directors. This dialog has already begun through the implementation of the 2008 Member Survey, as communication between members has been increased through the Birds of a Feather sessions and new Special Interest Groups. Creating “specialty silos” is not necessarily a bad thing. We need people who can encourage us to explore our areas in depth. However, we also need to create bridges, so that LIS educators speak with one voice on the issues that affect us, and for our mutual respect and understanding. We also need to be open to the voices of practitioners and information users: librarians, academics, teachers, community activists, and “regular folks.”

It is a privilege to be able to run for the position of Director of Membership Services, and I appreciate the opportunity to serve the association.

Biography:

I am currently an associate professor in the School of Information Science & Learning Technologies, University of Missouri. I earned my MLS and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. My Ph.D. is in Information Resources and Library Science, with a minor in Bilingual Education. Prior to coming to the University of Missouri as an assistant professor, I taught for one year as a Visiting Assistant Professor at SUNY-Buffalo. I also spent eight months teaching library science as a Fulbright scholar in Central America in 2008.

My research emphases are public librarianship, services to the Latino population, reader advisory services, and outreach. My professional experience is primarily from public libraries, and in my courses, I emphasize the importance of knowing and reaching out to the community. I am an active member of REFORMA, the National Association for Library and Information Service to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, and the ALA Library Research Round Table.