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Current Position & Responsibilities:
I am the Economics Librarian at Emory University. In this role, I am the subject specialist in Economics as well as the library's liaison to the Economics Department. I interact on a regular basis with the faculty in Economics and provide them with economics-specific information services. My other responsibilities include providing reference and research services (both general and economics-specific), classroom instruction; I am also responsible for the management and development of the library's collection in Economics.

About Emory and the Emory Libraries:
Emory is a private, liberal arts university with a combined undergraduate and graduate population of about approximately 10,000 students. The Emory Libraries have a collection of 2.7 monographs and an extensive collection of electronic resources. Emory University and the Emory Libraries are also affiliated with the Carter Center, a not-for-profit organization for the advancement of peace and health worldwide chaired by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter.

Your background and previous positions:
I graduated from the Information School at the UW in June of 2003. I was a Graduate Reference Assistant and the UW's Foster Business Library for the entire time I was at the iSchool. Prior to that, I worked at KMS Financial Service in Seattle as a Registered Financial Assistant. In my work at KMS, I spent a good portion of my time involved in financial research. I also hold both an M.A. and a B.A. in Economics from Washington State University (Go Cougs!). While working on my Econ M.A., I gained experience in economic research and in instruction in a classroom setting.

The knowledge and skills required to do your job:
My position requires in-depth subject knowledge in Economics, Statistics/Mathematics, and Business disciplines such as Finance, Accounting, Management, and International Trade. My job also requires an understanding of economic and business statistics of all kinds and where to find them. A working knowledge of government information/government documents is also helpful because a lot of the statistical information used in economic research comes from the government. Other skills required for my job include the ability to design web pages, a good working knowledge of a number of different article and statistical databases, and an understanding of how computer networks function.

Classes you found most useful:
The most useful thing I did in library school was not actually a class - it was my two years as a reference assistant at the Foster Business Library. Having that experience gave me an edge when my job search began. That aside, the most useful classes I took at the iSchool were practical application classes: Business Information Resources (LIS 527), Government Publications (LIS 526), Internet Technologies and Applications (LIS 541), Conceptual Database Design (LIS 542), Network System Administration (LIS 546), Management for Information Organizations (LIS 580), and Library Technology Systems (LIS 587). I also treated my work at the Business Library like it was an extra class - I strove to learn as much about providing reference services as I could.

Other information regarding your professional background that will help students gain a better idea of what it takes and what it means to pursue a career in special libraries:
While I have what many consider a "traditional" library career, specialized economics and business knowledge, as well as my background in the private sector, are not all that common among librarians. I fill a niche as a special librarian within a traditional library. So, just because you may be interested in topics that do not fall within the norm for librarians, it does not mean that a career path in a traditional library is closed to you. In fact, my specialized knowledge and financial services background provided a real jump-start to my career!

(March 2004)