Professional Immersion Day – Fall 2023

Robin Stark, Archivist, Morton Arboretum

Robin Stark recently started her library career as an archivist at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. In addition to receiving her MLIS degree last year, Robin holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences and a master’s degree in landscape architecture. Robin has worked in the fields of urban deign, city planning, and academic administration. In her new role at the Morton Arboretum, Robin works with materials related to tree science, landscape architecture, and the history of the Arboretum. 

Gennie Kieffer, Librarian and Metadata Specialist, East View Information Services INC 
 
Gennie Kieffer has a Master’s degree in Library and Information science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with a concentration on Information Organization. She interned at the University of Minnesota, where she worked in various library roles after graduation until her grant ended. After spending 2 years as the sole Librarian at The Toro Company as their media department’s Archivist, she moved to East View Information Services as a Technical Services Librarian, where she works with over two dozen Academic, Government, and Public Libraries across the world. Her favorite aspect of working in Tech Services is cataloging. 

Crispin Torboonsitikorn, IT Security Analyst, Molson Coors 
  
Crispin Torboonsitikorn is a 2019 UWM SOIS graduate and received his MSIST with a concentration in cyber security in 2022. While in the SOIS program, Crispin was a student supervisor at Campus Technology Support. Since graduating, he has been a cyber security analyst at Molson Coors Beverage Company. Using all the knowledge from his time at SOIS, he works to reduce the attack surface at his company and investigate security incidents. Molson Coors has also given him the opportunity to work with community programs and non-profits in Milwaukee, such as i.c. Stars and The Commons. 

David Kwasny, Digital Projects & Technologies Librarian, University of Toronto Scarborough 

After leaving UW-Milwaukee, David started his library career at The Milwaukee Art Museum Library Archives and assist the museum with the development of their online digital collection, planning the migration of their DAMS API into Drupal. This project also led him to be a part of the Steering Committee for Wisconsin’s Digital Public Library of America Hub, where he contributed to the administrative groundwork and development of Wisconsin’s DPLA Hub, specifically in regard to digitization policies. 

He continued his career at Marquette University, as the Emerging Technologies Librarian. While at Marquette, he managed the Library website and built web applications for the library. He sat on the Digital Scholarship Advisory Committee and led workshops on data visualization, and Data Carpentries, and instructed a course on Big Data. He also led the development of the JRR Tolkien Fanzine digital collection, managing the Drupal CMS backend and developing the taxonomies for the collection. 

Now at the University of Toronto Scarborough, David has been assisting students and faculty through data and technology consultations and workshops. As well as the workflow management of the Harley Spiller Chinese Menu Collection, including image processing, server ingestion, and metadata quality assurance of over 7000 digital objects. To improve online instruction in the wake of COVID restrictions, David has adapted broadcasting software to distance learning applications with the use of virtual cameras and developed training for his faculty to use it to improve synchronous and asynchronous instruction. 

Carrie Doyle, Head of Acquisitions and Serials Librarian, University of Wisconsin Law Library

Carrie Doyle is the Head of Acquisitions and Serials Librarian at the University of Wisconsin Law Library. Before that, Carrie spent three years as a Research Librarian at the Georgia Pacific Technical Center in Neenah, Wisconsin, and then a year at the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation Library. Carrie has worked in public, academic and special libraries. Carrie has also worked in several library departments, including reference, circulation, and technical services. Carrie is a member of the Law Librarians Association of Wisconsin and serves on the Wisconsin Library Association Board of Directors. Carrie graduated from SOIS in 2008.

Patty Smith, Product Specialist, Altmetric and Dimensions 

Patty graduated from SOIS in 2013 and worked for over 5 years as a librarian in both hospital and academic settings, where she developed a passion for science communication and research impact. Since 2019, she has worked for Digital Science and is currently a product specialist for Altmetric and Dimensions, which are companies within the Digital Science portfolio. She helps customers get the most out of Digital Science products, and loves seeing peoples’ faces light up when she’s able to help make their lives easier. In her free time, Patty reviews books for ALA’s Booklist—2023 marks her tenth year as a reviewer! 

Carole LaRochelle, Archivist, Mayo Clinic 

Archives define Carole LaRochelle and are interwoven throughout her personal and professional experiences. From favorite childhood historical road trips to such places as Harpers Ferry, WV; Annapolis, MD; the Library of Congress to volunteer opportunities such as researching genealogy requests for St. Patrick’s in the City, creating an archive within a week for the Furious Flower Poetry Center, and assessing artifacts and records for Marineland Dolphin Adventures. It was Carole’s passion for all things archives that led her to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies and an MLIS with an Archives Concentration. 

A native of the Washington, DC area, Carole and her husband, Scott, relocated to Northeast Florida in October 2013 when she accepted the position of “legal librarian” with the PGA TOUR. However, during the interview, Carole discovered that the legal librarian was really a corporate archivist. Carole broadened and evolved the position into an Information Governance & Records Administrator, redefined the Legal Archives into an organization-wide information governance program, implemented records management, and created the corporate historical archives. In May 2021, Carole became the first archivist for Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville location and is in the midst of building relationships, collecting oral histories, acquiring assets and artifacts to create physical and digital archive that will tell Mayo Clinic’s Florida story. 

Carole enjoys productive “puttering,” strength-training, yoga, family, nutrition, history, hikes, books, wine, and seashells.

Anna Rabin, School Librarian, Golda Meir School 

Anna Rabin has been the Golda Meir School’s librarian since 2021, running two libraries, a volunteer program, the Battle of the Books program for elementary and middle school students, global readers book clubs, and a French book club in addition to teaching classes and collaborating with teachers. Previously, she taught history and English as an Additional Language in France, Virginia and Senegal for fifteen years. She is particularly passionate about global children’s and YA literature, manga and graphic novels and all children’s and YA literature that reflects the diversity of MPS students. She has a bachelor of arts in history and women’s studies from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a masters of international education from George Mason University.  She is currently completing her MLIS at the UWM.  She loves supporting students’ growth as readers and global citizens.

Joy Zanders, Librarian II, Milwaukee Public Library 

Joy Zanders has worked for the City of Milwaukee for over 22 years. During her career, she earned her undergraduate degree from Marquette University and master’s degree from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Currently, she is a Youth Services Librarian at Martin Luther King Library. Truly, she is passionate about sharing great books, hosting meaningful library programs and connecting young people with resources.  As an Adjunct Instructor at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, she inspires students to explore young adult literature. Outside of work, Joy loves to spend time with her husband, Shondell and their five children.