ALSC Member of the Month — Lisa Mulvenna

Each month, an ALSC member is profiled and we learn a little about their professional life and a bit about their not-so-serious side. Using just a few questions, we try to keep the profiles fun while highlighting the variety of members in our organization. So, without further ado, welcome to our ALSC profile, ten questions with ALSC member, Lisa Mulvenna.

1.  What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?

I am the Head of Youth/YA Services at the Clinton-Macomb Public Library. I have been in my current position since September 2013. Before that, I was a Youth Services Librarian at CMPL for 12 years. While I am in management now and don’t have as much to do with it as before, my specialty was early literacy and young children’s programming. Now I get to do fun things like helping to shape budgets and goals for our organization so we can do great things like early literacy or school outreach.

2.  Why did you join ALSC? Do you belong to any other ALA divisions or roundtables?

I joined ALSC to connect with other children’s librarians and to grow in my profession. The networking opportunities are invaluable and I have pulled many ideas from colleagues. I am also a member of PLA.

3.  Do you enjoy summer weather?

Despite living in Michigan, which is definitely a four season state, I am a total summer lover! As soon as the weather starts warming up in the spring, I am outside in my flip flops and shorts or driving with my sunroof open. Plus, there is nothing as relaxing as a summer evening spent reading on the front porch!

4.  E-books or Print?

It’s a mix. When I am working with kids, especially those under the age of 5, I prefer print books. It is important to learn about print, practice turning the pages, and being able to cuddle up to a caregiver to share a story. Plus, the illustrations are awesome! As an adult, almost all of the books that I read for pleasure are e-books because I am a device junkie and they give me easy access to e-books. On the other hand, I still love to be able to browse my local Barnes and Noble for a couple of hours!

5.  Favorite part of being a Children’s Librarian?

I love being able to watch the kiddos grow up! I get to see them in my baby and toddler story times, then as they grow, they will be back for homework help and pleasure reading once they hit school.

6.  Favorite age of kids to work with?

It used to be just 2 year olds, but I have now added babies into the mix. Even though their ages are close, they are very different to program for. Both are a lot of fun!

7.  What movie would you rather watch in a theater than at home?

The whole Harry Potter series! While I have them all on DVD, I loved seeing them all on the big screen.

8.  When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I was one of those kids where it changed often. At my kindergarten graduation, I wanted to be a nurse, but I have also wanted to be a doctor, a lawyer, a child therapist, and a music teacher. Luckily, I picked right!

9.  Tell us something that not many people know.

My family is in the 2001 Guinness World Records for largest family reunion. We had 3500 people at the Lake County Fairgrounds outside of Chicago. Since the Guinness World Records is a hot item at our library, the kids are flabbergasted when I tell them that I am in there.

10.  What do you think libraries will look like fifty years from now?

I think that the ideas and basic missions will be the same, but the way that we do them will change. Books are not going away and literacy will always be important. After all, you need to be able to read to do just about everything else. I see us becoming more of a community organization. Staff will do more outreach to take their mission on the road. We will do more programming out in the community, rather than mostly in the library.

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Thanks, Lisa! What a fun continuation to our monthly profile feature!

Do you know someone who would be a good candidate for our ALSC Monthly Profile? Are YOU brave enough to answer our ten questions? Send your name and email address to alscblog@gmail.com; we’ll see what we can do.