Sian Brannon

Sian Brannon, arms spread wide, standing in front of five saddled horses that are facing away from us, heads in a trough. She is wearing a shirt with the inscription: "Bowie '72 London Ziggy Stardust Rock N Roll."
Describe yourself in three words:

Transparent, goofy, decisive.

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

I am reading random books on my Kindle - anything $2 or less. Listening to Beastie Boys and The Lonely Island on Spotify.

Describe ACRL in three words:

Relevant, resource, enormous.

What do you value about ACRL?

ACRL is a cauldron of training resources, collaboration, and communication avenues. I really enjoy the camaraderie on listservs - working together to solve problems and move us forward. I've used the resources published by ACRL for dives into assessment and advocacy, and even included the standards and guidelines in Information Science courses that teach (as an adjunct faculty member).

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

I do not see myself as an individual contributor. I also do not see that only librarians are contributors to the campus. Instead, I focus on what the academic library itself contributes as a collective of employees at all levels. The descriptions of "heart of the campus" or "hub of research" always make me feel weird. In non-metaphorical terms, the academic library and all it encompasses (tangible or not, human or not鈥) performs. Supports. Facilitates. Guides. Empowers. And many other verbs.

In your own words

I am not supposed to be a librarian. I was supposed to become a statistician and work for the Chicago Bulls, convincing Michael Jordan to marry me. Instead, I somehow ended up teaching Spanish to kindergartners for two years and thinking, 鈥淒one with that!鈥 Someone put library school on my radar, and before I knew it, I was a (terrible) children鈥檚 librarian at a big-city public library. A decade later, and after multiple changes in responsibilities, I ended up in technical services management. Lo and behold 鈥 an academic library position came open and I am here to stay.

Credentials:PhD

Title:Associate Dean for Collection Management

Workplace:University of North Texas

Location:Denton, TX