PDA Event: Shared Spaces Series: Tales of Sharing Spaces

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In this first of CARLI's two-part Shared Spaces Series, enjoy two separate presentations reflecting the experiences at three academic libraries.

“It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Creating Community in Shared Spaces at North Central College’s Oesterle Library” will be presented by Michelle Boule Smith, Director of Library Services at North Central College.

Zip up your cardigan, change out of your dress shoes, and discuss how to create a sense of community when multiple campus offices share one building with the library. This past year, North Central College’s Oesterle Library underwent a complete renovation. Library Services were moved to the lower level and we gained six new departments to our space. This atmosphere has rejuvenated not only the library, but the entire north end of campus. In this session, we will talk about how to navigate shared spaces, how to build a sense of community for the staff involved, how that momentum spills over to the student community, and how to capitalize on that renewed sense of belonging. It’s not always perfect, but the opportunities are worth the effort. You can’t pick your neighbors, but you can choose how you interact with them.

“Choosing Where to ‘Live’: Advocating for Library Neighbors” will be presented by Carolyn Ciesla, Library Director at the A.C. Buehler Library at Elmhurst University.

Sometimes we don’t always get to choose our neighbors, and that can be both good and bad. In this part of the session, Carolyn will talk about the tale of two academic libraries who weren’t able to choose where they lived, and the very different outcomes for both.

Presenters:

Michelle Boule Smith is the Director of Library Services at North Central College in Naperville, IL and serves as adjunct faculty at University of Nebraska Omaha, teaching Digital Citizenship. She is a native Texan and has worn many hats in libraries in three different states and at different kinds of libraries. Michelle is passionate about the power of people and information to change the world. Michelle is a geek, thinks life too is too sad not to read books with happy endings, squeezes in time to write between all the other things, loves the mountains, drinks too much tea, and will never turn down the opportunity to debate Marvel vs DC. The answer is always Marvel.

Carolyn Ciesla is the Library Director at the A.C. Buehler Library at Elmhurst University in Elmhurst, IL. Her library career has spanned teen departments and newspaper archives. Originally from Arizona, she has lived in Chicago for over 15 years with her husband and daughter. In her freetime, she consumes all things horror, collects craft supplies she immediately forgets about, and really will start that haunted library podcast one day.