(via ACRL)
Dr. Jung Mi Scoulas, Assistant Professor and Assessment Coordinator at the University of Illinois Chicago, is the ACRL Member of the Week for January 31 – February 6. Below are her answers to questions on how she has benefited from ACRL membership and what her role as an academic librarian means to the larger UIC community.
What do you value about ACRL?
After receiving my PhD in Educational Psychology in 2018, I joined the University of Illinois Chicago Library as the Assessment Coordinator. I was new to the library field, and was advised to join the ACRL to learn about the people and library work. ACRL allows me to expand my professional network by attending ACRL conferences, meetings and interacting with library staff in institutions of higher education. I also currently serve in a leadership role, the vice chair of the ACRL Value of Academic Libraries Committee and a member of the Project Outcome Editorial Board. Because members of the ACRL Value of Academic Libraries Committee and ACRL staff liaisons value my opinion, educational knowledge, library assessment and research skills, I feel connected, motivated, and included.
What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus?
As the Library Assessment Coordinator, I plan and implement library assessment initiatives, and lead regular internal and external assessments (e.g., student and faculty surveys) to identify their needs and provide evidence-based data to administration and leadership for improvements and decision-making. Decision-making is challenging without consulting our students and faculty. The University Library is committed to our users’ needs and responding to their needs. I appreciate my role as the Assessment Coordinator, being involved in the decision-making process through consultations and collaborating with those inside and outside of university library, and being able to demonstrate our library’s value to our users’ academic success.
To see the full interview, please go here.