Brandi Hart

Brandi Hart headshot
Describe yourself in three words:

Enthusiastic, kind, thoughtful.

What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device)?

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I am currently reading "How the Word is Passed" by Dr. Clint Smith, who is the keynote speaker at the upcoming annual conference of the Illinois Library Association.

Describe ACRL in three words:

Inspirational, educational, empowering.

What do you value about ACRL?

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I was given the honor of being awarded the ACRL Spectrum Scholarship this year. I am so grateful and appreciative to the ACRL for all of the support and generosity they have shown me, including providing me membership. I am very excited be a member of the ACRL to be surrounded by and learn from such a welcoming and intelligent community.

What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus?

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I hope to become a research librarian at a small liberal arts college assisting undergraduate students with their research. I am particularly interested in doing outreach programming and developing services to help international students and first-generation college students. The ACRL provides so many helpful resources that I believe will help me achieve my career goals, such as the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion LibGuide and the e-learning ACRL webinars (to name a few) that provide useful strategies and training to help implement library services and programs. I haven’t had the chance yet to read the First Year Academic Librarian Experience Blog, but it looks like such an amazing resource, especially given that I have no experience working in libraries. It will be really great to read about others’ experiences as first year librarians, what they learned, and how they navigated the profession.

In your own words

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While I have no experience working in an academic library yet, I have spent some of my fondest moments as an undergraduate doing research in academic libraries. I am planning to gain my first work experience doing a practicum this Spring. My hope is that as a future academic librarian, I can help make the library more accessible to the staff, faculty, students, and other communities whom we serve. I plan to actively work towards making the library a more inclusive and diverse space, acting as an advocate for our patrons, providing a safe, welcoming space for all, and developing tools and services that help our community.

Title:Graduate Student

Workplace:University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Location:Urbana-Champaign, IL