DEBRA J NELSON

940 Debra Lane, Elk Grove Village IL 60007

773/972-7425

debraj.nelson@yahoo.com

Summary: A library professional with a deep commitment to public service and library advocacy,
utilizing decision making abilities, technical expertise, people skills, business acumen, and management
experience. Proven ability to achieve successful relationships with management, staff and customers.

Core Competencies:

Library Science
Teamwork
Public Speaking

Leadership
Training and Development
Customer Service

Accounting
Project Management
Report Creation

Professional Experience:
Elk Grove Village Public Library, Elk Grove Village, IL
Head of Circulation
January 2010 present
Oversee the Circulation Department, including the hiring and development for a staff of 18. Plan and
manage departments budget; prioritizing and monitoring expenditures, as well as researching and
making recommendations for capital equipment purchases. Participate in strategic planning and policy
development as a member of the management team. Supervise interlibrary loan program, working with
staff and neighboring libraries. Certified Deputy Registrar serving as point of contact for Cook County
Clerks office. Ensure compliance with all policies and procedures for the library, including union
regulations. Address the concerns of patrons effectively and fairly. Analyze circulation processes and
integrate new procedures to improve services. Collect and analyze statistics, and summarize findings in
reports to library director, board, and state agencies. Provide data for Freedom of Information Act
requests. Process invoices, and serve as a primary contact for collection agency in an effort to recover lost
material and yield revenue for the library while maintaining positive relationships with patrons.

Currently serving as President of the LACONI Circulation Services Section, helping to develop
programs that educate and enrich library staff.
Introduced a new library card style, including a special library card for Elk Grove Village businesses.
Researched and facilitated with outside vendors to implement the automated call system which
informs patrons when their reserved materials are available.
Designed the entire process for a self-service holds system, making Elk Grove Village Library the first
local library with Horizon to configure the holds slip without purchasing special software.
Team leader that engineered, tested, and managed the conversion of the EnvisionWare RFID project.
Trained Staff in Active Shooter Incidence Response.

Paraprofessional Librarian, Adult Reference Department

May 2008 January 2010
Answered questions and conducted the research necessary to fulfill service requests. Instructed patrons
on the use of the library catalog, databases, and its other resources. Made recommendations for purchasing
new materials. Processed interlibrary loans, and ordered selections for adult book discussion groups.
Created signs and arranged special displays to promote enjoyment of reading.
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Debra J. Nelson

Elk Grove Village Public Library (continued)

Circulation Clerk
June 2006 May 2008
Checked out and renewed library materials to patrons. Inspected materials for completeness before
checking them back into system. Contacted patrons regarding damaged or incomplete materials returned.
Updated patrons records and maintained confidentiality of all patron data and information. Collected
fines for overdue, lost or damaged items.
Material Sciences Corporation, Elk Grove Village, IL
Business Office Consultant
January 2004 June 2005
Independent consultant involved in all aspects of managing a business office. Oversaw A/P, A/R, handled
customer inquiries, created marketing reports and contributed to numerous key projects. Prepared and
billed an average of 50 invoices a month, resulting in over $1 million billed annually.
Alltel Corporation, Chicago, IL
Senior Programmer Analyst
January 1990 December 2001
Starting as an Information Systems Analyst, promoted up through a series of positions of increasing
responsibility. Senior associate for the Sales Reporting System; supervised a staff of 3 Decision Support
Analysts accountable for the compilation and publication of all sales reports, ad-hoc reports, end-user
training, and help desk support. Conducted monthly end-user conference calls to foster partnerships
between departments and to resolve reporting issues. Identified and documented billing vendor errors,
and negotiated discounts that resulted in savings of over $250,000 in billing fees per year. Successfully
completed several company sponsored Leadership Training courses, including an Outward Bound High
Sierra Mountaineering trip.

Education:
Master of Library and Information Science - Dominican University, River Forest, IL
Portfolio available at: debnelson.weebly.com
Bachelor of Science: Business Administration - Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL

Professional Affiliations:

American Library Association

Beta Phi Mu, International Library and Information Studies Honor Society
Illinois Library Association
LACONI Circulation Services Section
Reaching Forward Committee Member
SirsiDynix Users of Illinois

Technical Skills:
Library Applications: Analytics on Demand, EnvisionWare, Horizon, OCLC
PC Tools: Microsoft Office XP and 2007 (Access, Excel, PowerPoint and Word)
Programming: Business Objects, FOCUS, HTML, Platinum, SQL, Web 2.0 software
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Debra J. Nelson