SJC's Librarian talks at local Library Consortium Miniconference

Hailey Siracky discusses " My First Year as a Solo Librarian" at NEOS Conference

20 June 2019

SJC's Director of Library Services Hailey Siracky recently attended the NEOS Miniconference - an annual conference that connects librarians who work in the NEOS Consortium. The NEOS Consortium is a group of government, health, college and university libraries in northern Alberta that cooperate to share library resources, technology, collections and people. There are 18 member libraries in total, working together to support the information needs of their clients in creative, collaborative ways.

Each year, NEOS holds a one-day conference that provides librarians with an opportunity to share projects, research, and other initiatives with their colleagues. This year the conference took place on June 7 at MacEwan University, and SJC Librarian Hailey Siracky presented a lightning talk entitled "My First Year as a Solo Librarian: Solo Academic Librarianship in the Context of the St. Joseph's College Library."

A Solo Librarian is defined as "the sole professional librarian in one's immediate work environment." Hailey became SJC's Director of Library Services in November 2018, after having previously served as its interim director, and her talk was an overview of both the joys and challenges encountered in her first year of solo library work in an academic context. It included topics such as the importance of advocacy, finding mentorship in unexpected places, coping with isolation, developing confidence, and work/life balance.