Meet a Member November 2021Candice Benjes-Small
What is your current position? Head of Research Where do you work? William & Mary When did you first know that you wanted to work in the library field? Since I loved to read, people always predicted I'd be a librarian and I resisted mightily. I'd worked in a public library in high school and did not think it would be a good fit. In college, my departmental advisor recommended I talk to the history librarian and hearing about her work made me realize academic librarianship was a path worth exploring. What is your favorite part of librarianship? It's a great mix of interacting with and helping people, working on projects, and exploring new ideas. I'm never bored. What was your first library or library-related job? As a 4th grader, I spent many recess periods 'volunteering' at the school library. I shelved books, filed print cards in the catalog, and talked about reading with the school librarian. It was much more fun than tag. What projects or programs are you currently working on at your library? Like every other campus, we're gearing up for the fall semester and trying to create contingency plans due to public health uncertainty. What issue or topic in librarianship are you most interested in? The psychology and sociology behind information seeking and evaluation, and how this relates to the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Why are you a member of VLA and what is the most important reason to you for being a member of VLA? Our Executive Director, Lisa Varga, is the main reason I am active in VLA. We've been fortunate to have had many wonderful officers, but it's Lisa who keeps everything running at a high level consistently. She is extremely supportive of the work of committees and forums, and is always seeking ways to make VLA's work more innovative. VLA is exceptional because of Lisa Varga. If you have any questions please email [email protected] |
