Jenn Kelley

Jennifer Kelley headshot
Describe yourself in three words:

Voracious learner; unstoppable.

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

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Right now I'm reading "The Man with the Golden Arm" by Nelson Algren, and "Algorithms of Oppression" by Safiya Noble. I'm listening to the audiobook of "A Line to Kill" by Anthony Horowitz and the podcasts PhD Life Raft and Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning.

Describe ACRL in three words:

Colleagues, community, connection.

What do you value about ACRL?

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Where do I start? Probably with the Immersion Program and its immeasurable impact on my professional career - from Teacher Track as a new librarian, Program Track years later, and now the opportunity to connect with hundreds of academic librarians as an Immersion Program facilitator. Of course, ACRL Conferences provide the perfect occasion for periodic reunions with the close friends and mentors that I've developed through Immersion Programs, not to mention the innumerable sessions and experiences that have provided me with something to take back to my own practice and institution. Online courses and workshops, as well as publications like C&RL, provide ongoing professional development and keep me in touch with scholarship, trends, and practices across academic librarianship.

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

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One of my interests as a librarian has always been working with educators to incorporate information literacy into their curricula and teaching practices. For the past four years, I've been able to take on a role coordinating faculty professional development at my institution - developing and facilitating workshops, webinars, and courses; sharing content through teaching guides, newsletters, and blogs; and consulting with individual instructors. I'm most proud of my contribution to creating our Anti-Racism Action Initiative, a community of faculty, staff, and administrators seeking to improve conversations about race, racism, and oppression in the classroom and across campus. I've learned so much about my colleagues and my college through these interactions while also helping to build a culture of professional development.

In your own words

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As an endlessly curious person who values the practice of throwing things against a wall to see what sticks, academic librarianship has provided me with so many opportunities to experiment, innovate, and learn as well as to reinvent myself along the way. I'm privileged to work at an institution where librarians are recognized as teachers, scholars, mentors, leaders, and advocates.

Credentials:MFA, MLS

Title:Reference Librarian and Faculty Chair of Professional Development

Workplace:College of DuPage

Location:Glen Ellyn, IL