Natalie Amato
91´«Ã½ Divisions:
Curious, adventurous, reflective.
I am currently reading "Becoming Confident Teachers: A Guide for Academic Librarians" by Claire McGuinness for work, "I Might Regret This" by Abbi Jacobson for pleasure, and listening to the audiobook of "Educated" by Tara Westover on my commute.
Informative, supportive, connecting.
I turn to ACRL for a lot of my professional development, using the literature and webinars to keep current in the field. I also enjoy following the conversations on the listservs, as it keeps me up to date on what's going on in other libraries. As an early career librarian, the educational opportunities available to me through my membership have helped me grow immensely.
As the Instruction and Outreach Librarian, I aim to help students become more engaged with the library and its resources, as well as inspire them to think more critically about the information process. I work with such an awesome and diverse group of students, and I learn just as much from them as I hope they learn from me.
As an undergraduate, I had little to no contact with the librarians at my university, although I was at the library most days. I'm not sure I even knew I COULD connect with a librarian if I needed help. Now that I find myself in a position that can directly impact a student's experience in the library, and at the school as a whole, I work hard to provide them with an experience much the opposite of my own. It's important to me that I am approachable and available to students when they need me, and even when they don't. When I go home at the end of the day feeling like I have made a positive impact in a student's life, it makes all the difference in my own.
Credentials:MLIS
Title:Instruction and Outreach Librarian
Workplace:Cleveland Institute of Art
Location:Cleveland, OH