Kai Alexis Smith is Adjunct Reference Librarian at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. Kai has been an ACRL member since 2009, is a 2014 ALA Emerging Leader,  and your ACRL member of the week for May 12, 2014.

1. Describe yourself in three words: Humble, hard-working, team player.

2. What are you currently listening to on your mobile device? I listen to podcasts during my commute. I just learned about Hessian troops during the Revolutionary War from the Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast. I like podcasts because they give me the opportunity to learn about things that I might not seek out myself.

3. Describe ACRL in three words:  Opportunity for supportive collaboration.

4. What do you value about ACRL? Not only do I value the resources for continued education and mentoring opportunities that ACRL makes available to the community, but also the opportunity to work with colleagues on committees and projects. I have already met incredible professionals and look forward to making more connections that I hope to keep throughout my career.

5. What do you, as an academic librarian, contribute to your campus? I contribute an enthusiasm for the profession, an eagerness to assist researchers in their scholarly pursuits, and a team player attitude.

6. In your own words:  I finally found what I was meant to do – be a librarian. I graduated with my MILS last May and am very excited to be joining the profession. I have been lucky enough to meet professionals from different organizations who have been supportive and continually provide valuable advice. As a librarian in an academic environment, I can help users in a way that I could not in my previous career path. I enjoy working with both undergraduate and graduate students and faculty with research and in the process, I always learn something new.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.