Dawn Behrend
91´«Ã½ Divisions:
Inquisitive, driven, organized.
91´«Ã½
I am reading "The Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty" by Patrick Radden Keefe which tells the story of the Sackler family’s role in the opioid epidemic as producers and aggressive marketers of OxyContin. I am also listening to the audiobook, "Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel" which is the second book in the Wolf Hall series about Thomas Cromwell.
Enriching, inspirational, unifying.
91´«Ã½
As a second career librarian, I have valued the sense of belonging and professional identity that ACRL has been able to provide. I have been able to connect with librarians across the country in ways that would not have been possible without being an active member of ACRL. ACRL has also been valuable in offering opportunities for service and leadership development through my work on committees and ACRL Chapters Council as well as ongoing professional development.
91´«Ã½
As my library's liaison to psychology, counseling, and business along with a few other areas, I work with the students and faculty to provide information literacy sessions, research assistance, and ensure the collection is adequate to support their needs. In my outreach role, I am responsible for the library's social media platforms, planning library events, and marketing library resources and services. Having worked as a masters level psychologist for many years before becoming an academic librarian, I am passionate about mental health advocacy including reducing the stigma of mental illness and ensuring the library is an equitable and inclusive space for all visitors. I am active in providing workshops on mental health topics for librarians as well as outreach to the campus community on mental health.
91´«Ã½
I have always held a deep love for libraries and felt a calling to be librarian. I feel so fortunate each day that I get to say that I am a librarian and spend my days working in a profession that I find to be so rewarding. Being an academic librarian has allowed me to be a lifelong learner and to be surrounded by colleagues, students, and all of the excitement for learning that comes with being on a college campus. Having been able to leverage my experience as a psychologist to help librarians learn more about mental health initiatives and to improve their own self-care has been an additional unexpected bonus to my transition to librarianship.
Credentials:MLS, MBA, MA
Title:Instruction and Outreach Librarian
Workplace:Lenoir-Rhyne University
Location:Hickory, NC