Steve Brantley, Eastern Illinois University
Statement of Concern
I am the Head of Research, Engagement and Scholarship at Eastern Illinois University’s Booth Library and as such I am responsible for the research support and instruction activities of the library. I also serve as a subject liaison to several departments and work closely with the Faculty Development and Innovation Center on Campus. I am excited about the opportunity to support IACRL in this office because I think my experience and enthusiasm for academic libraries can bring a balanced perspective from a Central Illinois regional university with Northern Illinois metropolitan roots.
I served on the Illinois Library Association Conference Planning Committee in 2018-19, on the ILA Advocacy Committee 2016-19, and on the ILA Awards Committee 2015-16. I also served the IACRL on the Conference Planning Committee in 2014 and the Conference Planning Committee in 2016. Most recently I served on the Bylaws Revision Committee in 2020. At my university I have served on the “Together We RISE: Reaching Inclusivity for Student Excellence” conference planning committee for the past two years, and I collaborate with the Faculty Development and Innovation Center to bring library relevant webinars and workshops to faculty at EIU.
If I were to be elected as the Vice President/President Elect of IACRL, I would seek to identify the academic librarians in Illinois who are overlooking IACRL as a network of inspirational professionals to commune with and learn from. We are entering new and untested terrain as we emerge from a global pandemic. We need to both explore the possibilities for our profession from what we have learned, but also provide support for one another and recognize the damage we have all suffered from this ‘once a century’ catastrophe. I would like to take stock of the value we offer our Illinois colleagues, and identify what regenerative support we can provide one another. I will also think creatively about appealing to a generation of librarians who are invigorating our professional practices and the library scholarship.
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