Emily Frigo

Emily Frigo
Describe yourself in three words:

Curious, creative, collaborator.

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

I am usually reading several books at once depending on my attention span at the end of the day. Here are some books on my Kindle, night stand, and desk in my office: "Uprooted" by Naomi Novik, "Tell Me so I Can Hear You: A Developmental Approach to Feedback for Educators" by Eleanor Drago-Severson and Jessica Blum-DeStefano, "The Whole-Brain Child" by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson, and "Belonging: A Culture of Place" by bell hooks.

Describe ACRL in three words:

Collaborative, community, engagement.

What do you value about ACRL?

I value the opportunity to connect with others in our community through scholarship, formal mentoring, and serendipitous conversations at conferences. ACRL contributes to my growth by providing various guidelines, frameworks, and standards that I can leap from, apply, or adapt to my institutional context and my own pedagogical practices.

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

As a librarian with over ten liaison areas, I relish my ability to traverse and make connections between disciplines. My subject breadth and the multiple hats that I wear helps me develop a comfort level with ambiguity. I do not always know the answer, but I know how to ask questions and find information sources with answers. Thank goodness there is always more than one way to get there.

In your own words

I am the mother of two toddlers and who amaze, marvel, and startle me each day. I enjoy how visible, and at times, how quick or slow their developmental changes are. My kids also provide a nice foil for looking at both student and adult development theories to ask the question-- how can we support the social, emotional, and intellectual growth of our students and work selves? I find it reassuring to think of learning as part of a lifelong trajectory of growth, and it gives me congruence between my work and personal self. In my work, I like to ask how we support the whole student and help them connect to the library on their journey.

Credentials:MLIS

Title:Liaison Librarian

Workplace:Grand Valley State University

Location:Allendale, MI