Ben Proud
Librarian
Since November 2009
bproud@ivytech.edu,
(260) 480-4195

A.  Like everybody here, I do several different things that at larger libraries would be handled by multiple people.  I provide reference help to students, which means that I help them find articles or books or help them cite something in a paper, and I help students with more general questions, like how to put a photo into PowerPoint, use Blackboard, or sign up for classes.  I also do about 40-60 presentations a semester for classes.  I do copy cataloging and some original cataloging, which is how our books and other items get into databases where people can look them up.  Another part of my job is the processing of overdue notices and fines (making me the least popular person in the library).  Finally, the technical nature of today’s library means that I also design databases, write small programs that make my work easier, or make videos that stream online.  All in all, a pretty varied workday.

A.  I worked at the University of Maine and the University of Pittsburgh for a few years before coming here.  I received my Master’s in Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

A.  It isn’t unique exactly since others also do this, but part of my job is to know what resources the Library has and to connect our patrons with them.  I am always interested in hearing from faculty about what courses they are teaching and seeing if we have something that can help make their class better.

A.  I got into computers and electronics just in the last couple years, so I like messing around with that.  A couple weeks ago I fixed a radio and next weekend I am going to try to set up a database/web server on an old computer I have.  I’ve always been into sports, more playing them than watching.  I also like watching birds.  Also, reading (obviously).

A.  I have been on a streak lately, so I would actually just recommend the last three books I read.  The Puritan Way of Death is a very interesting history of early American attitudes and experiences of death.  Winter by Adam Gopnik is a collection of five essays on the matter, and is great to read while watching it snow outside.  Finally, The Master Switch by Tim Wu is a well-written book about information companies, and fills in a lot of history I didn’t know about things like cable and FM radio.

Ben wants to share the following website with you today: http://www.goodshowsir.co.uk/ 

Name: Carol Gibbs
Position Title:  Library Video/ILL Clerk
Worked at the Library: Since July 2006
Contact Info: cgibbs14@ivytech.eduor phone 260-480-2019

Q. What do you do at the library? I do a lot of different things, but the two duties listed in my title take up the majority of my time. For one thing, I’m in charge of Interlibrary Loans (ILLs.) If a student, staff member, or instructor needs a book, an article, or a dissertation that we don’t have at our library, I contact other libraries and try to find one willing to loan the item to us. I keep track of each borrowed item and make sure it gets returned safely to the home library. Also, we have items that other libraries want to borrow from us, and I keep track of those and ship them out as well. I also get all of the new videos ready to be checked out, help instructors find videos, and reserve videos that instructors want to use on certain days in their classes. I also work at the circulation desk, where I help students, check out books, and answer whatever questions I can!

Q. Where does your expertise come from? I worked at the Allen County Public Library for 6 years before I came to Ivy Tech, at both the Georgetown and Tecumseh branches. In addition I happily haunted libraries for most of my life, and from my earliest years I wanted to play ‘librarian’ the way most children play ‘school.’ But instead of becoming a librarian, my love of words pushed me into getting a journalism degree.

Q. What is unique about you that could be of service to the Ivy Tech community?  I get to see most of the new books and videos as they are added to our collection, so sometimes I’m able to direct people to just the thing they’re hoping to find. And don’t forget that we can try an Interlibrary Loan if you are looking for something not already here.

Q. What’s your favorite thing to do outside the library? I love to read! I usually have a couple of books scattered in my car and around my house that I’m currently reading. I also enjoy crafts, such as crocheting, and my daughter and I have been dabbling at creating jewelry recently. I waste far too much time watching bad TV and drooling over things on Pinterest. I enjoy spending time with my husband Michael, even after 34 years of marriage. Traveling to Utah to visit our son has also been an adventure the last several years. And my ultimate goal is that someday I will shelve a book with my own name on the cover!

Q. Recommend a book to us that you enjoyed. This might be the hardest question ever! Should I recommend a never-fail classic, like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? Definitely one of my favorite current authors is Sarah Addison Allen. All of her books are wonderful, but Garden Spells is just a pure delight. I also love Lisa Lutz’s Spellmanseries, and Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie books always bring a smile. One of the lucky things about working in the library is that I’m constantly finding new authors to love. Barbara O’Neal is one great author I’ve discovered recently.

Carol wants to share the following website with you today:  Something I constantly say is that I either make one huge mistake or embarrass myself terribly at least once a day. In honor of things that seem like such a good idea but go oh-so-wrong, I like to go to Pinterest You Are Drunk and remind myself that I’m not the only one making mistakes.