Professional Interview, LI801, Fall 2010

Professional Interview with Katie ODell, School Age Services Manager for Multnomah County Public Library, Portland, Oregon Elizabeth Johnson Emporia University Fall 2010

Author Note This interview was conducted by Elizabeth Johnson, for class L1801XO, Emporia University.

Professional Interview, LI801, Fall 2010

Professional Interview Katie ODell works in an environment of books. As the School Age Services Manager for Multnomah County, it is her job to get books into the hands of kids. Katie, easy to talk to and quick to laugh, openly shared her thoughts and experiences on the following areas. Education and training: Katie, like most librarians, has received her MLS. While her degree did not necessarily prepare her for the daily operations of her current job, it did point her in the direction she wanted to go. Through learning about the history of women in library service, she realized that a career as an archivist was not for her; instead, she wanted to get books out to kids and promote literacy. Katie also mentioned that grad school taught her the importance of intellectual freedom, which has influenced the way she does her job. Weekly duties: Katie supervises several teams: School Core, Books To You, and Summer Readers. Most of her responsibilities include the daily supervision of those teams, as well as supervising the overall approach of the library to K-12 education in the community. This includes interaction with the school district and home-schoolers. It is their goal to come alongside these institutions and provide necessary resources. She also oversees projects funded by grants given to the library. Organizations: Katie belongs to ALA, ALSC, and OLA. She has been a key player in the

Professional Interview, LI801, Fall 2010 Newbery and Caldecott committees where she has learned how to work in a team, think critically about literature, and appreciate a book as a work of art. The reading required for those committees has added to her familiarity with childrens literature, which has enabled her to recommend age-appropriate material to teachers and to fellow librarians. Importance of those organizations: Katie has not only grown as a professional, but has also seen the benefit afforded to the institution where she works. She has learned information pertaining to child development as well as ways to get kids excited about reading. This knowledge has played an important role with programs such as Summer Reading. Current Issues: One of the greatest issues is funding. There are years of good funding and years where she has needed to learn how to prioritize, strategize, and choose her partners

wisely. Katie also views advancing technology on a limited budget as another issue. The library continues to advocate for free access to the Internet, but wonders how long this will be able to continue. Katie also wonders how the library will be able to provide access to technology, which is always changing, to kids who cant afford it otherwise. Katie is a librarian who is making a difference while doing what she loves. She thinks critically about the future and what the librarys role will be, and she has worked hard while implementing values adopted in graduate school. Despite any number of frustrations Katie is still able to talk about her job with a smile on her face.