2019 ULS Candidate for Secretary: Camille Thomas
Camille Thomas is one of two candidates this year for ULS Secretary. She is the Scholarly Communication Librarian at the Texas Tech University. Read this interview to learn more about Camille as a candidate.
1. Tell us more about yourself and how you became an academic librarian.
My background is in Creative Writing and Journalism, but I had many other interests that librarianship allowed me to pursue. Although my first library experience was in a public library, I became drawn to academic libraries because there was space to conduct research, provide innovative services and interact with a variety of users. I was interested in scholarly communication early on in library school, as it fit my interests in publishing, advocacy and technology.
2. How long have you been involved in ULS and what attracted you to the section?
I am new to ULS, but have been an ALA and ACRL member for about 6 years, including previous work on the Spectrum Advisory Committee. I was drawn to ULS through recommendations from several colleagues who are involved and engaged. I felt it was a good fit after attending a few ULS conference events and programs.
In your opinion, what are some of the most interesting topics or trends we’re seeing in university libraries?
Interesting topics we are seeing are more rich conversations and initiatives for inclusivity beyond recruiting diverse candidates and support statements. I also think our work with data management, curation and visualization is highly valuable and should be more common. I am interested to see more community-centered practices with platforms and practices in scholarly communication.
4. What goals for the section would you have if elected to this position? How do you envision committees and members helping the section achieve those goals?
My goal for the section, if elected as Secretary, is to provide consistency and transparency through documentation, promote ULS initiatives more widely and be an active member of the Executive Committee. I envision committees and members looking for ways to partner with other subdivisions. The more consistent and transparent we are, the better we can get others involved internally and externally to support members’ professional development.
5. Where do you see ULS going in the future? How does it need to change and evolve to stay relevant to academic librarians?
I see ULS addressing the changes in the roles of university librarians by providing a supportive space for professional development. In order to stay relevant to academic librarians, ULS needs to try new ways of communicating and collaborating to lower barriers to how members interact with sections and how their needs are addressed.
6. Tell us something interesting about yourself that not very many people know.
Sadly and inexplicably, I do not like peanut butter cookies or omelets.
