Member Spotlight - Sarah McHone-Chase

Illinois Association of College & Research Libraries Forum (IACRL)

January 8, 2024

This week's member spotlight is on Sarah McHone-Chase. Sarah is the current president of the Illinois Association of College & Research Libraries Forum (IACRL). She was also a member of the ILA Reporter Advisory Committee. 

We asked Sarah to tell us a little about herself and answer a few professional and amusing questions. Continue reading to find out more about Sarah.

A little background on Sarah

Sarah McHone-Chase is the Director of the University Library at Aurora University and is the current president of IACRL. Her professional interests include compassionate management and library buildings and operations. Her personal interests include taking care of her family, dog, and houseplants, as well as reading and doing the occasional Lego set.

How did you get your start in libraries?

My undergrad is in English and I was really interested in finding practical applications for my degree. I was meeting with the internship coordinator and he mentioned library science. I wasn’t actually that interested in the time, but he really planted something in my mind, so that whenever I thought about a possible future career, librarianship became the career I was imagining. I went on to intern in at a library, research more what it is that librarians do, and, at some point, it just became the answer I gave people when they asked about what I was planning to do in the future.  

Best advice you've received since starting your career in libraries?

There isn’t a thing that was said to me that I have carried around with me, but I think the discussions I’ve heard about vocational awe have been really helpful to me, especially as I have contemplated the evolution of my own career, what kind of leader/person I want to be, and my own wants and needs in my personal life. A few years back, I was thinking about vocational awe and related concepts while writing an article about burnout and I was talking to a librarian at another institution about how they felt about their work. I think this person is a really great librarian, someone I really admire in the field, and when they said, “it’s just another job,” I was pretty floored. Gob smacked. I really love my job and I really love being a librarian, but this comment helped me think about how my profession, and how good I think I am in the profession, is not necessarily my personality or all there is to me. I’m grateful.

Any advice to newcomers working in libraries? 

I think it’s really important to advocate for yourself—you won’t be a better librarian by making yourself do it all, all the time. I sometimes say, “we don’t light ourselves on fire to keep others warm.” It’s the same as putting on your own oxygen mask before helping someone else with theirs. We are serving our libraries and our patrons (and our coworkers!) better when we are aware of what our own needs and limitations are.

When and why did you become a member of ILA?

I have been a member most of time since I started my career: I just thought that it was important to support libraries/librarians across the state. In the last few years, especially, I have felt more strongly about this. I don’t want to just be a member of ILA, I also want to work on committees and such to help make the organization stronger, as well as help strengthen the libraries/librarians in our state as much as I can.

How has being a member of ILA helped you professionally? 

I think it’s the networking. I feel like I have a bunch of super smart, very cool friends throughout the state that I can refer to when I need help with something. In turn, I’m happy to be a resource to any of them when needed. The community that ILA fosters is really valuable to me.

What is your proudest professional achievement to date?

I think it is starting at Aurora University as the Director of the University Library, but a close second is being the President of IACRL this year.

Hardcover, paperback, e-reader, audiobook, or all?

I feel like each is good for different things. Hardcovers for more precious things (your favorite novel, etc.), paperbacks for fun, quick reads, e-reader for travel, especially, and audiobooks for travel or to go to sleep. 

Favorite author?

I genuinely don’t know if I have one, but there are a bunch that I would sit down and read and reread if I had the chance, but my tastes are all over the place. I don’t think I could narrow it down if I tried.

If you were stuck on a deserted island, what five books would you bring with you to pass the time until being rescued?

Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite and Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon might seem like weird choices, but I’ve read them both a couple of times and they are genuinely very interesting. I think I would feel more prepared for survival scenarios if I had these with me. I would like to have some time to read A Visit from the Goon Squad and Candy House back-to-back so that I can refer to the one while reading the other. And then I think it’d be nice to relax with a book that would have been a go-to for me as a kid—something like Island of the Blue Dolphins or The Egypt Game.

Cat or Dog?

I used to think cat, but now I think dog. In a perfect world, I would have both (plus about a million plants, and the cats and dogs would leave those plants alone).

Favorite film, podcast, or television show? 

My favorite television show, of all time, is Murder, She Wrote and it is absolutely a comfort to me.

One person you would like to meet, dead or alive why?

It’s Angela Lansbury. I would have loved to hear her just talk about her life and such.

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