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Hi! I'm Professor and Head of Instructional Services at the URI Carothers Library, and currently, your teacher for fall 2017. I've been a librarian since 1996, (yes, URI GSLIS!) Courses taught for URI Libraries: LIB 120, LIB 150, LIB 220. Courses taught for URI GSLIS: LSC 502, LSC 504, and LSC 527. I am co-chair and founder of the RILA Information Literacy Action Round Table (RILA-ILART) - so please join us! I am the ACRL 2017 Miriam Dudley Instruction Award winner. I live in Wakefield, RI with my husband, Bruce. I have two adult children, Alexander and Suzannah.

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Hi! My name is Janet Caiola, I am a children's librarian, and program coordinator in CT. I currently live in Ridgefield, CT with my husband and two children. I have a Journalism degree from Carleton University in Canada, and an MLS from Pratt Institute in Manhattan. I can't find any recent photos of me. ( I am usually the one behind the camera.) So, this is a photo of my daughter and her hockey team. The rink is where you will find me when I am not at the library.

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Hi everyone!

I currently live in Glocester, RI and commute to URI everyday for work. I am a Graduate Assistant in Enrollment Services on campus and have been for two years. The position pays for my tuition which is phenomenal! I have professional experience in academic and public library settings, but not school library. I am in my last year of the program, focusing in School Media. I am looking forward to learning about this amazing field and getting to know you all!

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Hello! My name is Elise. I am starting my third (and FINAL) year at GSLIS this semester. I work full time as the Reader Services Coordinator at a public library in Southeast MA, where I live with my husband and our two cats and bunny. As of this October I will have been in public libraries for 7 years (holy crap) and I couldn't imagine doing anything else! In my current position I work a lot of reference shifts and do a lot of OverDrive instruction so I think this course will really help with that. I am possibly the biggest Harry Potter nerd you've ever met and in my free time (hah!) I enjoy knitting while listening to audiobooks :-)

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Hi! My name is Steven Miller, and I am entering my third and final year in the GSLIS program at URI. In addition to working two part time jobs, I volunteer whenever I can at the Old Colony History Museum in Taunton, MA as a librarian/cataloger. I am very excited to take this class as I believe this class will be a great compliment to my career pursuit as a reference librarian in an academic setting. I am originally from Fall River, MA, but currently live in New Bedford with my wife (Beth) and two crazy cats (Chewy and Solo). Just like Janet, I am usually the one behind the camera (as I really enjoy photography), so the photo below is of myself and my wife on our honeymoon (taken in Montreal), as we were married this past August. I am very much looking forward to learning from some familiar faces, and a few new ones throughout the course of the Fall semester.

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Hi everyone! I am entering my second and last year in the GSLIS program. I am focusing on School Media. Last year I left my job in an academic library (working in circulation and technical services) to focus on school and also be a stay at home mom (my girls are 7 and 4). I've enjoyed volunteering at my children's school's library, which has been a great experience. My husband, kids, our husky pup and I live in Coventry, RI.

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Hello, everyone! I'm entering my third and final year in the dual-degree program in English and LIS at URI. As a librarian, my interests are in academic and rare books/special collections librarianship. On the English side, I'm a huge Shakespeare nerd and I'm fascinated by the history of the book. I'm currently working at the Central branch of the Cranston Public Library (which is conveniently located only a few minutes from my house)! One fun fact about me is that I'm obsessed with musical theater, and right now I'm lucky enough to be taking part in a production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in Woonsocket. It's been years since I had the time to be in a show, so I'm really excited about it! I'm also a serious Whovian (or Doctor Who fan), as you can tell from my picture below.

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Hi everyone, my name is Tayla and this is my second year in the program. I began working as a circulation clerk at the East Greenwich Free Library over the summer and have been really enjoying getting some hands on library experience under my belt (finally!). I am interested in academic librarianship (particularly reference and information literacy instruction) so this class is a perfect fit for me and what I want to do in the future. I currently live in Scituate, RI and I have just begun teaching myself how to play the ukulele.

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Hi everyone, my name is Emilie. This is the beginning of my second year in the program. I am likely taking the SLM track, although I may be more interested in Academic Library. I have been working as the Young Adult Librarian at the Mohr Library in Johnston since this past January. I also work as a substitute teacher in Scituate, a Licensed Massage Therapist, a Boathouse Registrar, & a rowing instructor. Other fun facts: I have my BA in Mythology & Folklore, also am a huge Potterhead/Whovian. I have two cats, Serafina & Fryeja (Freyja loves WebEx classes). I am also the Dungeon Master for my D&D group & I hula hoop.

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I am taking this course as a non-matriculated student. I received an MLIS from GSLIS at URI in 2000 and I worked for over 15 years at the North Kingstown Free Library in Rhode Island.  Currently, I am the Executive Director of Ocean State Libraries, the public library consortium in Rhode Island. A core service of our consortium is training, particularly on the Sierra ILS.   While I am taking this course for my own edification, I believe that it will help inform my work.  In my spare time, I enjoy singing as well as travelling when time and finances allow. :-) (I am the one standing next to the horse.)

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Hey everyone, my name is Danny and this is my third full semester in the program. I am from Essex, CT, which is on the mid-shoreline. At this point I have not chosen a track, but I would most likely pursue working in public librarianship. I began volunteering at the private Institute Library in New Haven a little more than two years ago, and immediately enjoyed contributing to their services and interacting with patrons. I also work part-time as a journalist and am currently working at a bookstore in marketing for at least a couple of months. I have enjoyed all my URI classes and look forward to this one. I am also an avid reader and sports fun, and love performing improv comedy.

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Hey all -
I'm super excited to be in the final year of the program! I currently work at an elementary school in Coventry, Rhode Island, where I grew up. I'm a native Rhode Islander and currently live in Providence with my husband, Nick, who is also a teacher. We had a very busy summer; we got married, went on a three week European honeymoon, watched the total eclipse in South Carolina, and met our brand new nephew  in Orlando. I'm looking forward to a quiet fall of work, school, and football. Best of luck to everyone this semester.

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Hi! My name is Kathleen. I've been working on my MLIS since January 2015. I live in Stamford, Connecticut. I've spent many years working in media and communications. Most recently I worked on the brand communications team at Starwood Hotels. One of my careers goals is to bring journalism and libraries together in a productive way. Even though I am graduating in May, I am still not 100% sure I want to be in public libraries. Right now I work at Darien Library (part-time) on the Readers' Advisory team and I spend time working on the reference desk. I love listening to podcasts (more than happy to suggest a few of my favorites) and I'm always grateful when I can spend time with my three nephews. Also, I am training for the NYC Marathon. The big day is Nov. 5th (I still can't believe it's happening). And I hope to celebrate with waffles at the end.

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I am steady moving through the program and now just over half way through the School Library Media track here at URI. Life is a bit chaotic right now as I make time for work, family (married with a 4 year old daughter and newborn son), and school. I have a Bachelor of Arts and have been working as a graphic designer for 18 years in RI. I recently made a job change to teaching Graphic Arts at the High School Level this past school year. I believe School Library Media will allow me to share my technical and creative skills with a wealth of information knowledge to help both students and teachers. This course looks like a perfect fit at the moment - learning more about engaging my high school student with content rich and designed lessons.

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I am excited to be closer to being a full fledged school librarian and media specialist. I have been a teacher (high school for 13 years and Kindergarten/ preschool for 13 years). I am currently a school librarian in East Providence, RI. It is exciting and overwhelming to have two schools and taking two classes, but I am up for the challenge. When not in the library, I am a Mom of three adult children and a Grandma, too. I volunteer on Saturdays at a barn located at a nursing home in Bristol. I care for two llamas and a donkey--which I love! I am excited to learn from all of you and find exciting ways to teach information literacy to my students.

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Hello everyone! I'm Michele and this is my second semester in the MLIS program. I am fortunate to be currently working as an elementary school librarian in the middle of Connecticut.  I started this program over the summer with the intent to become a certified Library Media Specialist and finally be paid appropriately for the work I am already doing.  I also work part-time in my local public library and I’ve come to realize I prefer the hustle and bustle of the school setting.  I've just sent my son to college. He's studying Mechanical Engineering at the Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland. By the time I finish this program, my daughter will graduate from high school and I’m hoping to move further north, preferable along the New England coast.  I grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, lived in San Diego and Ireland and crave the sound of the ocean.

I am also a published children’s author. I was one of twelve writers selected to write a chapter for The Great CT Caper, an on-line (and book) serialized mystery for kids. I have yet to land the coveted publishing contract for my middle grade novels, but I'm working on it. In my very spare time, I also have make and sell jewelry from sea glass I’ve collected over the years in Ireland and New England.

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My name is Charlene Williams. I was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. I currently work as the Assistant Librarian in the Lower School at Wheeler School. My focus is School Library Media. I have taken two classes non matriculated. This is my first semester in the Graduate Program. I am looking forward to learning a lot and becoming more effective on my job.

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Hi, my name is Alyssa and I am originally from Exeter, NH. I recently just moved to Biddeford, Maine to be closer to my new job as the Teen Librarian at the Thomas Memorial Library in Cape Elizabeth, ME. I had previously worked in reference and circulation at a different library in NH. I've got one more semester in the program after this one, so I'll be graduating after completing my internship in the spring, which is exciting! I'm on the general track, focusing mostly on public libraries, since I'd like to continue to be a teen librarian in the future. I also have an interest in special libraries, mainly archives, rare books, and special collections.

I know this is probably cliche, but in my spare time I read a lot (A LOT). Glad to see other fellow Potterheads in here! I also enjoy watching (and often quoting) movies with my husband, who is in the comic book business, so we enjoy anything to do with the cinematic comic universes.

I'm really looking forward to using what I learn this semester to better serve my teens and myself. Looking forward to working with some of you again and meeting the rest of you for the first time!

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Hello all, my name is Emily Milan and I currently live on Cape Cod with my husband, two of my 3 daughters (the third is a college student outside of Boston) and two crazy dogs. This is my third semester in the GSLIS program. I have been the Assistant Director of Brooks Free Library since October 2015. Prior to that I was the Technology Librarian and was responsible for network and resource management as well as all the tech training that took place at our library as well as outreach efforts at our local community, Council on Aging, etc. The picture below is from last weekend when I hiked Mt. Washington as a part of the group New England Peaks for Prevention. This annual hike is a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Prevention Partners. I got to spend a rather chilly but fun night on top of the mountain in that hut you can see behind. I took this journey in honor of my mother who just completed chemo for breast cancer and, ironically, had her first surgery on the 11th-- the day after I completed the hike.

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Hi all, my name is Mackenzie and I live in Bristol, RI with my boyfriend and our fish, Starlord. I am working part-time towards my MLIS degree while working full time as an Executive Assistant at an Engineering Company that works closely with the Navy. This is my fifth class that I have taken in the program and love it but I am not sure where I would like to end up as of yet. I am considering working as a public librarian however. I like the possibility of working with a wide and diverse population of people and finding different ways to meet their needs.

The biggest goal I have for this academic year is to start gaining experience in the library setting in any way that I can although I feel limited in opportunities due to my current work schedule. I'm going to find a way to make it work! :)