Education
Certificate in Digital Media Skills
OCAD University, Continuing Education
August 2016 - November 2017
Certificate in E-Learning
University of Toronto, Continuing Education
October 2013 - April 2015
Master of Library and Information Science
Western University, London, ON
September 2009 - August 2010
Library and Information Technician Diploma
Algonquin College, Ottawa, ON
September 2007 - April 2009
Baccalaureate in Arts, Honours in English
The University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON
September 2003 - August 2007
Western Libraries Service
Western Libraries Service Activities
September 2011-present
- Course Readings Service 2016, coordinator
- Customer Services Standing Committee, member
- Scan to Deliver Working Group 2016, member
- Ares Implementation Team 2016, co-chair
- User Experience & Community Engagement (UXCE) Working Group 2016, member
- Sierra Operations Subcommittee, circulation functional specialist
- Intranet Subcommittee, member
- Weldon Instruction Portfolio, OWL subgroup, member
- Ares Feasibility Task Force 2014, co-chair
- Course Reserves Working Group 2014, chair
- Western 1010 Working Group 2014, member
- Conceptual Design Working Group 2014, member
- LibQual Research Working Group 2013, member
- Western Libraries Website Feedback Working Group 2012, member
Work Experience
User Services Assistant ; Casual Assistant Supervisor
Western Libraries, D.B. Weldon Library, London, ON
January 2015-Present
- Provided exceptional front-line circulation and reference service to patrons at the largest Western Libraries location with as many as 13,000 visitors per day. Modelled positive customer service behaviours for colleagues to welcome, instruct, and empower patrons
- Acted as second-tier support in resolving patron disputes, fines appeals, complex inquiries, and local systems issues
- Managed, trained, and scheduled as many as 30 student assistants per semester in circulation, public service, stacks maintenance, and RFID tagging
- Scheduled up to 16 full-time staff on daily service desk and support duties, maintaining a fairness in distribution of shifts
- Co-chaired an interdepartmental team to implement Ares reserves software. Acted as the administrator for Ares, liaising with the vendor and campus partners in ITS to customize automated data loads and local workflow. Developed and carried out a 12-month communication strategy including branding the new service, delivering information sessions for all library staff, composing communications to all faculty, and training 20+ staff members across 8 branch locations
Library Assistant
Western Libraries, D.B. Weldon Library, London, ON
March 2013-January 2015
- Provided front-line circulation service
- Oversaw a $300k project to RFID tag the D.B. Weldon Library, an 870,000+ item collection
- Coordinated course reserves service, liaising with faculty and implementing recommendations to improve material access and workflow
- Chaired a working group to investigate course reserves products, recommending the implementation of Ares for integration of reading lists into Western's learning management system (LMS), Sakai
- Co-chaired a taskforce to conduct a feasibility study on the implementation of Ares software, bringing together stakeholders from across campus
- Developed and implemented LMS-based online library instruction used in 5 first year courses and re-purposed for use in teaching by colleagues
Technical Assistant
Western Libraries, Library Information Resources Management, London, ON
August 2012-March 2013
- Checked-in and claimed print serials, maintained check-in records, and examined order records for payment history
- Liaised with publishers, vendors, collections librarians and cataloguing staff regarding serials subscriptions
- Created derived and original catalogue records for music CDs and electronic theses using AACR2, MARC21, and LCSH
- Downloaded remote bibliographic records for modified cataloguing and updated multi-volume series records
- Undertook a project to examine the treatment of series classed together, resulting in more streamlined cataloguing workflow
Library Assistant
Western Libraries, C.B. "Bud" Johnston Business Library, London, ON
September 2011-August 2012
- Provided front-line circulation and reference service to student, faculty, and staff patrons, primarily from the Richard Ivey School of Business
- Conducted reference interviews and research in response to in-person, chat, and e-mail questions using business information resources
- Composed reports evaluating print and online resources for purchase or cancellation
- Participated in Working Group to organize and harmonize circulation procedures across Western Libraries and Affiliates
- Participated in working group to collect feedback for redesign of Western Libraries public website
- Consulted with Summon Implementation Team to code and analyze qualitative survey data in Excel
- Composed reports evaluating print and online resources for purchase or cancellation
- Revised and updated business Program Guides and FAQ (Find Answers Quickly), and wrote guidelines for maintaining consistency and quality
- Created original online news stories, subject guides, and promotional displays
- Participated in digitization of historical annual reports collection
Library Assistant
Western Libraries, Interlibrary Loans, London, ON
September 2010-April 2011
- Accurately and efficiently processed interlibrary lending requests
- Communicated and followed-up with clients regarding ILL requests
- Worked with RACER, OCLC, Millennium, Ariel, Relais Express, and various online shipping tools
- Provided integral support in implementing and assessing new software, including preparing documentation and conducting training sessions for colleagues
- Collaborated on LIRM Intranet home page redesign and made revisions according to user feedback and principles of web usability
Library Assistant
Supreme Court of Canada Library, Ottawa, ON
May 2008-August 2009
- Staffed the reference desk and responded to clients in person, by phone and though email regarding circulation, ILL, and legal research requests
- Became familiar with legal research, including case citations and interpreting legislation
- Performed circulation tasks including check in/out, holds, recalls, and updates of patron records using SirsiDynix Unicorn/Workflows ILS
- Shelved and retrieved items, filed looseleaf amendments, and maintained shelves
- Performed AACR2 descriptive cataloguing, LCSH/RVM subject cataloguing, and maintenance of the authority file
- Produced electronic update service for intranet using Dreamweaver MX
- Prepared Excel spreadsheet statistics analyzing holdings of items cited in judicial decisions used in a conference presentation by the SCC Director and President of CALL
Volunteer Experience
Work Study Student
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON
Spring 2009
Performed derived and original AACR2, LCSH, and LC classification cataloguing on donated collections and pamphlet materials using Millennium and AnzioWin
Work Study Student
Carleton University, Ottawa, ON
Fall 2008
Processed ILL lending requests using RACER, OCLC, and Millennium
Volunteer
Ottawa Public Library, Nepean-Centrepointe Branch, Ottawa, ON
Winter 2008
Inventoried adult reference material and weeded adult fiction using Sirsi Dynix Horizon
Skills
Technical Experience
- MS Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher
- Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for photo manipulation and graphic design
Communication Experience
- Exceptional English and beginner French
- Excellent writing and editing skills
- Experience conducting reference interviews, answering front-line queries, and instructing patrons on effective research strategies in-person, by email, via chat/IM, and by phone
- Developed and led training sessions for colleagues on newly implemented software and workflow
Organizational Experience
- Quick to adapt to new technologies with the flexibility to thrive in changing environments
- Ability to prioritize, organize, and work resourcefully and accurately with competing priorities
- Experience with project management and leading teams of colleagues and employees
Select Professional Development
- Design Thinking, Western Continuing Studies, Sept. 25 & 26, 2017
- Ontario Library Association Super Conference (Poster Presenter), "Breaking Down Silos: Campus Collaboration to Deliver Course Readings at Western University", Toronto ON, Feb. 2, 2017
- Society for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (Poster Presenter), "Partnering with Faculty via the Learning Management System", London ON, June 22, 2016
- Mental Health First Aid, Western Professional Development, June 1 & 2, 15 & 16, 2016
- Workshop for Instruction in Library Use (Poster Presenter), "Partnering with Faculty via the Learning Management System", Vancouver BC, May 31, 2016
- Teaching with Technology (Presenter), "Partnering with the Library for Student Success", London ON, May 7, 2016
- Access Services Conference, Atlanta Georgia, Nov. 2015
- Meetings that Work, Western Professional Development, June 11 & 15, 2015
- OCULA Spring Event, Jordan ON, April 2015
- Scholar’s Portal Day, Toronto ON, Dec. 2014
- Workshop for Instruction in Library Use, London ON, May 2014
- Computers in Libraries, Washington DC, April 2014
- Technology in Education Symposium (Moderator and Volunteer), Faculty of Education, Western University, March 2014
- ALA Virtual Conference (Local Facilitator), Western Libraries, July 25, 2013
- Circulation And Fines Extravaganza (Presenter), Western Libraries, July 23, 2013
- OCUL/Scholar’s Portal Resource Sharing Conference, Toronto ON, Dec. 9, 2010
- OLA Super Conference, Feb. 26, 2010
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Disclaimer
In 2025, my mother, who suffers from dementia, lost her home and possessions in a house fire. As caregiver, my possessions were also lost.
To this day, I have not been able to recover any of my remaining belongings which Crystal denies access to after the end of our marriage.
These include digital photos, containing memories of significance to both my mother and I.
This disclaimer is only to remain as long as pettiness is prioritized over compassion and respect. This has gone on for years, but staining and erasing memories crosses a level of decency that is hard to accept.