WebJunction

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Max Anderson, host for Funding & Advocacy where you can funding share funding tips and resources, and host for Post-conference Decompression where you can do a mental download of all the cool stuff you learned at library conferences.

Max attended Florida State University's School of Information Studies where he earned his MLIS in 1999. Soon after graduation, he moved out to Seattle to work for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a Public Access Computing Trainer. Besides installing computers and training in public libraries, he was on the preliminary committee for Staying Connected, the beta version of WebJunction. After three and a half years traveling around the US, Max moved to Atlanta to work for SOLINET as a Training & Support Librarian. Currently he provides training for member libraries in the Southeast on OCLC products and services, distance education, and other technical issues.

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Michael Arndell, Sarah Graham and Rowan Brownlee, hosts for Information Literacy Resources where you can discuss how you are using, reusing and sharing your library instruction and training material.

Michael, Sarah, and Rowan work at the University of Sydney Library in Australia. Their primary jobs are in library liaison work with various faculty groups, but they are also members of a library group called Lego. The Lego Group is looking at treating information literacy material like lego bricks, ie breaking down learning content into small chunks (or learning objects), which can then be reused, stuck together and shared by all staff involved in information literacy.

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Karen Bary, host for Intellectual Freedom where there is always a lively discussion about IF issues.

Karen is an Adult Services Librarian in Westminster, Colorado, where she does reference and collection development. She also teaches part-time for Emporia State University's Colorado distance MLS program and finds time to serve on the Colorado Association of Libraries' Intellectual Freedom Committee. Karen loves to connect people with information, to discover quirky but soon-to-be-popular titles, and to tilt at the windmills of intellectual freedom. After 20 years in insurance, Karen found her real identity library school. When she discovered that intellectual freedom is such an important aspect of librarianship, Karen says, "I knew it was not just a career, but a calling."

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Libbie Crawford, host for Disaster Planning & Recovery, where resources are shared to help libraries plan for and recover from catastrophic events.

Libbie is a librarian who loves working with libraries around the world and, as the print product manager for the Dewey Decimal Classification system, she gets to do just that. Being from hurricane- and tornado-prone areas makes her aware of all the things that have to be done to get back to serving users. Other times and places hold her interest as well; all things Celtic and any time before computers fascinate her. She also loves to cook and devour (read) cookbooks of all cuisines. Prior to managing Dewey print products, Libbie worked for SOLINET in training and marketing and spent several years in academic and public libraries in Alabama.

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Bill Drew, host for Wireless where you learn and share the ins and outs of going wireless at your library.

Bill grew up in Ithaca, NY where he graduated from Tompkins-Cortland Community College and Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. After several years of trying to decide what to do when he grew up, he went back to school at Drexel University and received his MS in Library Science. His entire professional life as a librarian has been in various roles at Morrisville State College since the Fall of 1985. He is currently the systems librarian. Bill loves people, books, technology, and teaching.

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Wendell Gragg, host for Hardware where you can ask technical questions about hardware use and purchasing; share reviews or make recommendations.

Wendell started in computers in 1974 as a student programmer working on IBM mainframes. He still remembers actual hanging chads, because punchcards were used at that time! After leaving mainframe programming in 1989, he worked as a system administrator for a bookstore and a lighting warehouse before going to work as a Library Systems Administrator for a school district in El Paso, Texas. He was responsible for the automated computer system (Inlex) and all the computers and terminals for 25 school libraries. When his wife decided to pursue her doctorate, they packed up and moved to College Station so she could attend Texas A&M University. Wendell became Automation Coordinator for the Bryan+College Station Library System and has been there ever since. Wendell's degree is in theology, so he enjoys studying and debating the meaning of life. He also loves building computer systems, online gaming, digital photography, cooking and researching his Scottish roots.

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Janie Hermann, host for Staff Training and Patron Services where you can discuss information literacy, training programs for staff and patrons, and find support for online courses.

Janie grew up in Canada and earned her MLIS from the University of Western Ontario in 1996. She moved to the United States after graduation and began her career as a reference librarian at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY. She has been an Information Services Librarian at Princeton Public Library for five years. In addition to reference desk duties, Janie is the coordinator of the library's technology training program, the supervisor of the newspaper indexing database project and a member of the library's Web Site Committee. She is the founder of two popular monthly technology programs at her library -the Tuesday Technology Talks and "DataBytes" series. On top of all that, Janie's library is currently moving into a new building! When Janie is not busy working, you will most likely find her on the ski slopes if it is winter or in her garden if it is summer.

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Chrystie Hill, Community Coordinator is a bit of an über-moderator and hostess for all the forums on All Aboard.

Chrystie's a librarian who will capture, contemplate, and coo over just about anything online. Her obsession began with her first "thank you" letter from an Internet Public Library patron, and she hasn't been able to shut up about technology enhanced librarianship ever since. "It's not perfect," she says, "but it has so much potential!" Her pet peeves: the idea that she's a recluse because she likes being online. And her favorites: "Besides Online Community?" she says, "Vintage." Don't even try to tell her there's a paradox there.

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Brenda Hough, host for Emerging Technologies where you can discuss what's hot and new on the technology horizon and what's useful for libraries.

Brenda is the technology coordinator for the Northeast Kansas Library System (NEKLS). Brenda is also an instructor and a doctoral student in the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University in Kansas. Her research interests include: helping those in rural libraries tap into the potential of technology, outreach to populations traditionally not well-served by public libraries, and community building. Her previous jobs include working as a technology trainer (in the US Library program at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and as a reference librarian (at the Lake Agassiz Regional Library in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota). When she's not playing with technology (lucky girl, thinking she's "playing" in grad school), Brenda enjoys cooking, traveling, kayaking, and singing karaoke --though rarely at the same time!

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Rita Kaiser, host for Legal Information Services, where we discuss the challenges of helping patrons meet their legal information needs.

Rita started working in public libraries as a page in her home town in Minnesota - too many years ago to tell you when - and worked in public libraries off and on for years while following her Navy husband. Rita became a law librarian by accident. When she and her spouse moved to Washington, DC, the only jobs open were in law firm libraries. While working in the firm library, Rita obtained her MLS from the University of Maryland. After twelve years on the East Coast, she followed her spouse back to the Pacific Northwest and found a job at the King County Public Law Library. Rita does public and staff training, assists a bit with computer network management, and spends much of her time answering a multitude of legal questions. She acted as the instructor for the Washington State Library virtual public library training on web-based legal resources. When not working, she reads, loves to cook and spends as much time with her first granddaughter as possible - even though her granddaughter lives in Baltimore.

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Carol Kubala, host for Reader's Advisory where we share ideas and resources for getting the right book to the right reader.

In mythology a figure that is half man, half horse, is known as a centaur. So what is a creature that is half book, half woman called? From the time Carol was a little girl, it was hard to tell where she began and the book ended. She owes much to her dad, who took her to exotic places through storytelling and books and then took her on her first visit to the library. And then there was the elderly aunt with an attic filled with books. She would allow her nieces to pick one or two, often forbidden romances, just the ticket for a teenage girl. Now Carol is known as the 'book grandma' to her two grandchildren.
When she's not reading, you'll find her browsing flea markets with her 'junk picker' husband, looking for Christmas jewelry or mouse figurines. And of course, she's always checking book sales, used book stores, and online vendors, because for Carol, everything leads back to books and reading.

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Douglas Lord, host of Library Services to Older Adults, where you can discuss programs, challenges and solutions to accommodate older adults in your library.

As LSTA Program Assistant for the Connecticut State Library, Douglas is a busy man. He helps libraries apply for, understand (sometimes the hardest part), administer, and report back on LSTA grants. He educates the library community on e-rate and helps them get their technology plans approved. He also worked on CT's latest Gates Staying Connected Grant and serves as co-chair the Connecticut Library Consortium's Services to Older Adults Roundtable. No wonder Douglas drinks a lot of coffee -that's good coffee, nothing “institutional” thank you, a little cream, no sugar. Just when you think Douglas might be winding down, he goes home to frolic with his kids, Rachel and Jackson, who constitute his real life!

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Joan Nagy, host for What's the BIG Idea where you can learn about incorporating science and mathematics programming into children's services.

Joan Nagy is the Associate Director of Mother Goose Programs™, learning opportunities from Vermont Center for the Book. Her background in English Literature and her law degree are combined with a professional history of organizational and fund development for non-profits. Joan contributes to the conceptualization of programs and products, design and delivery of projects, and overall organizational strategies. She is the chief grant writer for Mother Goose Programs, and one of the program staff for the National Science Foundation-funded project “What's the BIG Idea?: Math and Science for Young Children in Your Public Library.”
Joan is a reader, singer, knitter, and traveler. She and Rich Westman live in an 1847 Vermont farmhouse at the foot of Mount Mansfield.

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Jennifer Peterson, host for Mentoring where you can explore mentoring relationships and share stories and strategies.

Jennifer Peterson joined the WebJunction team in 2005. She works across the site and loves being a part of a great big group of collaborators and believes that the success of a community depends on its capacity to learn together. She has worked in many of the Northwest’s public libraries since 1993 and interned at the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation while completing the MLIS program at the Information School. She has a hard time containing her passion for libraries and learning, but stays grounded with the help of her two beautiful children, who also both love books, music, dance, art, movies, thrift stores and camping. They often include librarian in their list of future careers.

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Harry Pike, host for Getting Started! where you can learn about how 'All Aboard' works, introduce yourself, and socialize with other members.

Harry has an extensive background in all things online. He started in customer service, technical support, and community development, but has recently taken on network administration at The Goodwin Library in Farmington, New Hampshire. Harry works out of his home as a Web developer for local businesses, and you can also find him with the online community at ElectricMinds.org. Proud father of four boys ages 5-20, Harry does all of the above while looking after his two young sons and worrying about the two fully grown ones! And if that's not enough, Harry's also a musician. He attended The Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where he developed a "severe loathing" for Jazz. "After 25 years of playing rock and roll in smoke filled bar rooms," Harry admits, "I have decided to ham it up online instead of onstage from here on out!"

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Joe Sherwood, host for Policies & Practices where you can discuss challenges and successes with policies for software, printing, reservations, security, and filtering.

Joe has worked in libraries for 15 years. He started his career driving a bookmobile and as a librarian for 77 retirement communities. Once he decided that library work was really for him, Joe obtained a Masters in Information Science from Drexel University and began a career in library management. Now Joe is the director of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Library and is very active in the Pennsylvania Library Association. Recently he has agreed to take on the role of Chairperson of the Association's Library Administration and Management Roundtable. Joe feels strongly that equity of access for all individuals is extremely important. "Removing barriers," says Joe, "whether they are caused by policies, equipment, building or staff training, is exceedingly important and should be a goal for all Librarians.

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Laura Staley, host for the Spanish Language Outreach Project where you can discuss WJ's pilot program to increase public computer access for Spanish speaking patrons.

Laura Staley is serving as the Project Coordinator for the Spanish Language Outreach Program Pilot. She spent the last five years working for NPower, a non-profit dedicated to helping other non-profits meet their missions by improving their technology savvy. Laura received her Master’s in Teaching at Seattle University. When she’s not helping libraries meet the technology needs of Spanish speakers, you can find her combing the beaches of West Seattle with her kids.

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Alex Tyle, host for Office Applications where you can share information about desktop applications for office tasks and projects.

Alexandra Tyle is a reference librarian at the Homer Township Public Library in Homer Glen, IL. In addition to reference and programming duties, Alex teaches computer classes to the library's patrons. Alex graduated from the University of Milwaukee with her MLIS in 2005. While studying for her masters, she also took numerous computer programming classes. Aside from her interests in computers, Alex enjoys reading, hiking, and of course, shopping.