TTW Contributors
-Mikael “Mick” Jacobsen
Professional Interests
Mick’s interests change rapidly and tend to get rather involved in whatever project and/or idea he is currently thinking about and working on…which anybody who reads his blog posts will soon learn.
Background (Professional and Otherwise)
Mick is an Adult Services Librarian at the Skokie Public Library, IL. Adult services, for Mick, entails working in a multitude of patron contact points as well as designing and maintaining online presences. Before being hired by Skokie he was the Web Services Librarian at the Franklin Park Public Library, IL. He is the current leader of the Web Services community of practice (concentrating on Drupal) spanning the Chicago suburbs.
He has authored a couple articles for the Library Journal and has many other article ideas floating in and out of his head. He has presented at CIL, ALA, and locally on technology related topics such as Drupal, Screencasting, and Google My Maps.
Mick graduated with an MLIS from Dominican University in January of 2008. He has held many jobs before coming to librarianship. These positions include teaching English as a foreign language in Seoul, South Korea, working as a night manager at a hotel right off of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and serving as front line management in the retail industry. In 1999 he graduated from Knox College, IL with majors in History and Philosophy. Mick was born in Reykjavik, Iceland and is intensely proud of it for some reason.
Personal Pursuits
Mick enjoys leisurely biking around the beautiful pathways of Northern Illinois with his wonderful wife. Unlike most librarians, he couldn’t care less about coffee.
Contact Information
Feel free to email Mick at mljacobsen1 {at} hotmail.com or tweet him at twitter.com/mickjacobsen about any topic that he has written or spoken about or anything you think he may find interesting.
-Katharine Johnson
Professional Interests:
Katharine Johnson is currently in her final semester at Dominican University, working with contemplative fervor toward an MLIS. This semester her courses consist of two independent studies, allowing her to devote the remainder of her research toward areas for which she has great passion: marketing in academic libraries and information architecture.
Background:
After repeatedly taking the introductory chemistry courses at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), Katharine quickly discovered that she was NOT cut out to be a geneticist. Already working at the agriculture library on campus, it became apparent that libraries had always served her as a second home. Thus, as an ambitious 19-year-old, her pursuit of an MLIS began. In the meantime, she majored in Media Studies, concentrating her efforts on advertising, popular culture, and marketing.
These concepts have transferred well in her studies toward an MLIS from Dominican University. She enjoys observing social dynamics, trends, and marketing methods. Acknowledging that libraries are not an island, but the backbone of a community, Katharine believes that libraries should reflect the users in a way that is seamlessly integrated into their lives.
Workplace:
As a Graduate Assistant at Dominican University’s Crown Library, Katharine has been given the opportunity to work side-by-side with librarians, aiding and taking initiative in the library’s progressive projects. You’ll find her smiling face at the reference desk (and keep the Meebo questions coming!) or teaching user instruction courses. She’s been working toward making research seem more accessible through metaphors that apply to students’ everyday lives. She also has experience in the archives, event planning, and creating new marketing materials.
Personal Pursuits:
Katharine loves coffee and creativity and revels in the haven their union inspires. You can also find her training for half-marathons, cooking, or writing letters to friends far and near.
-Kyle Jones
Professional Interests:
Kyle’s background in English literature and secondary education motivates his interests in how new digital literacies are framing the way students view the academic world. He sees the Read/Write web as a valid and feasible tool librarians can implement into daily practice, and like Kyle’s fellow contributor below, Lee Leblanc, he too believes that librarianship is undergoing exciting seismic change. Additionally, Kyle sees enormous potential in new avenues of marketing and business models that librarians could tap into to meet their users’ needs and wants from libraries. See his site for more information.
Background:
Kyle graduated from Dominican University’s (River Forest, IL) Graduate School of Library and Information Science and is an undergraduate alumni of Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL). His interest in librarianship as a career began after he was introduced to Library Land in an undergraduate course entitled Great Chicago Libraries. As for his technology background, Kyle used Read/Write Web technologies such as RSS feeds and blogs during his student teaching experience and saw first hand how innovative ways of information gathering and sharing had positively affected students’ academic lives.
Workplace:
Kyle began his career as the Library IT Specialist at the A.C. Buehler Library at Elmhurst College. In January, 2010, he started an exciting new position with some pretty remarkable people at Darien Library in Darien, CT as a librarian in the Knowledge and Learning Services department.
edited: 12/25/09
Personal Pursuits:
Kyle is a simple man and needs only a fine cup of coffee to be content.
-Lee LeBlanc
Professional interests:
Lee’s main interests are leadership within libraries, the strategic use of technology in libraries and the innovative services libraries must employ.These three areas, Lee feels, are what will increase the relevancy in users’ lives. Lee agrees with Mr. Jones that libraries can harvest the best business practices currently in use without becoming heartless, without losing focus of the missions of libraries, and while adhering to ethical standards. Recently, Lee has come to understand that you don’t choose libraries, Libraries choose you. Lee ultimately believes that libraries are in a great age of change; now is the time to invent a new kind of library.
Background:
Lee has a Masters of Information Science with concentrations in Information Architecture and Technology. Prior work involved the USAF, running a small medical massage therapy company, and tons of odd jobs with odd hours and odd people -all almost as odd as Library Land. 
Workplace:
Lee works full-time as a Coordinator in Library Computing and Technology Systems at the FGCU Academic Library.
Personal pursuits:
Photography, graphic novels, martial arts, vegetarianism, libraries, and Buddhism rank as major time sinks. You’ll find Lee a bunch of places online but flickr is where he hangs out most. Lee does some personal posts on Bibliodox. Lee also likes microblogging for his fascinating personal life.
