2017 ULS-Sponsored Emerging Leader: Lorelei Rutledge

Lorelei Rutledge is this year’s ULS-sponsored American Library Association (ALA) Emerging Leader. The Emerging Leaders program is a leadership development program for no more than 50 newer library workers a year that provides participants with the opportunity to work with a team to complete a 6-month project proposed by an ALA unit. Each project team will present the results of their project in a poster session at the ALA Annual Conference.

Read this interview to learn more about Lorelei and her experience in the Emerging Leaders program so far.

1. Tell us about your current position. What do you enjoy the most about it?

I am a Faculty Services librarian at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library. I liaise with the Center for Disability Access, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ethnic Studies, Family and Consumer Studies, and Nutrition. I think the thing I enjoy the most is supervising our resident librarians—they come for two years to gain some experience in academic libraries. I love hearing their creative ideas and getting to know them.

2. Why did you decide to apply for the Emerging Leaders program?

I wanted to be a part of the Emerging Leaders program so that I could network with and learn from all of the people involved. I would also love to be involved in national service, and participating in the EL program seemed like a great way to learn more about how to do that.

3. How has your Emerging Leaders experience been so far? What project are you working on?

It has been really wonderful—I really enjoyed attending Midwinter and meeting my team, and I am really looking forward to working with them. Our project is to work with the Learning Roundtable to help them revitalize a past program that pairs people who have had conference presentations accepted with reviewers who can help them improve those presentations. I think it is a great service.

4. Where do you see your career going from here?

I would like to continue to grow and eventually take on more leadership roles, either formally in a management position or informally through service to the library community.

5. Tell us something interesting about yourself that not very many people know.

I absolutely love sloths! I think they are one of the cutest members of the animal kingdom. For my last birthday, I splurged on a program where I got to spend a full night hanging out with sloths and feeding them treats.