Josh Michael joined the Centennial Library staff in June 2013 and has worked as a student assistant, public services librarian, and director since 2001. He was appointed Director of Library Public Services in November 2014. Josh is married to a fellow CU graduate and they have four sons who enjoy making lots of noise and running amuk. He is insufferable on anything about the Civil War and often pretentious about The New Yorker. He is misguided enough to continue running despite a clear lack of any real ability. Also, he spends a lot of the day thinking about food.
Tell us about your background…
I grew up in Maryland and graduated from CU in 1999 with a degree in history. While in seminary in Washington State, I began working in a library and realized this was something I enjoyed enough to keep doing for a long time.
What is the “Director of Library Public Services” responsible for?
Overseeing the side of the library that interacts with our users. This involves promoting materials, loaning out materials, helping patrons access and use our resources more efficiently, and making sure we are providing good service to our patrons.
Can’t we just “Google it”? Why should a student ask for help from a librarian?
The challenge we face today is not the paucity of information but the preponderance of it. Google doesn’t give us an answer – it gives us a million answers. So our challenge is to figure out which of the answers best matches our question. Librarians can help in forming questions and in finding answers.
How would you advise students to evaluate the resources they find?
Look for the best evidence possible, not just the easiest to find. Use different sources to evaluate each other and always, always consider the source of your information.
What advice would you give a student interested in a library career?
The best way to figure out if it is something you might like is to do it. The library offers lots of ways to discover what it means to work in a library and how different interests may gravitate toward different aspects of library work.
Tags: cedarville, five questions, library, staff profiles
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