So you want to be an outreach librarian? Spotlight on Katherine Chew

Who knew there was such a thing as “outreach on a stick”? If you’re in Minnesota, like this month’s GMR Partner Outreach Librarian, Katherine Chew, you might know. From ice cream, taffy apples, and every deep fried food you can think of (olives!), the Minnesota State Fair takes the on-a-stick notion to new heights.   Name: Katherine Chew Title: Research/Outreach Services, University of Minnesota Bio-Medical Library, Minneapolis, MN How long have you been in the role of an outreach librarian? Officially November of 2014, practically (i.e. first outreach activity/event) April 2015. How did you get involved in outreach? When our Public Health/Outreach Librarian, Anne Beschnett, left in October 2014, I got tapped for the Outreach role for three reasons: (1) I had helped Anne with exhibiting, (2), at the time I had the most flexibility with my current job duties to take on fulfilling the outreach contract and (3) the library director had decided that as part of recruiting for a new Public Health Librarian, that outreach would be replaced by data curation duties, so outreach became a permanent part of my job. What is your favorite outreach project that you’ve done so far? The most favorite outreach activity is staffing a booth at the Minnesota State Fair. It is fun, exhausting (on your feet for six to nine hours), exhilarating, informative and a great way to interact with people. All shapes, sizes, ages, genders, educational levels, nationalities and...
Source: The Cornflower - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: Blog Outreach Partner Outreach Libraries Source Type: news