Dr. Melissa Atkinson is the Director of Distance & Online Library Services at the Margarett and Herman Brown Library at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. She has worked in the same academic library for 22 years. She earned her M.S.L.S. from the University of North Texas in 2000 and her Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Distance Education in 2019 from Regent University.
What is your site’s URL?
Briefly, what is the current purpose of your site?
It had posts about the courses in my doctoral program.
Was the original purpose of your site different from this current purpose? If yes, how and why did it change?
The original purpose is still being displayed because I haven’t posted in about 7 years. I still pay to keep the site domain just in case I ever update it.
Are you actively looking for work? (check all that apply)
√ Nope! Not at All!
Has your site brought you any work? And if so, what?
No, not really, but my doctoral degree did.
About Your Site and Sites in General
Did you pay someone to design or build your site?
√ No
Which of the following content do you have on your site (check all that apply)?
√ Blog about personal topics
√ Blog about professional topics
√ Twitter or other social media feed
√ Your Bio
√ Your photo
Which of the following personal links or connection methods do you provide on your site? (Check all that apply)
√ Form for people to subscribe to your content
Is your site strictly library/archives/LIS related?
√ No, I include my arts/crafts/hobbies/other tangential or unrelated work
When was your site last updated?
√ Longer than a year ago
What causes you to update your site, and about how frequently does that occur?
I haven’t updated in about 7 years, but when I did, I tried to update every week.
Does your site use any of the following platforms/services?
√ WordPress.com
How much do you pay annually to run your website? (for numbers not in American dollars, please use other)
√ $10.01-$20.00
Do you allow comments on your site?
√ Yes
Do you have advertising on your site?
√ Yes, but I don’t have any control over that/it’s part of the platform I use
Do you have analytics on your site?
√ Yes
About how many people visit your site in a month?
√ 0-50
Is having a personal website a “must”?
√ Yes, for people looking for speaking gigs
√ Yes, for people who are independent contractors/freelancers
√ Nope! Not at All!
Do you have any privacy concerns associated with sharing your personal information, resume, etc., on a public website? If so, what measures do you take to feel safer?
Somewhat concerned, but I’m not too worried based on my content (not too popular). I don’t know if WordPress has any safety measures, or what kind of measures to take.
What advice would you give someone wanting to create their own personal professional site?
Make sure you have a plan to address trolls (in DMs or public comments).
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your website? Or personal websites in general?
I have been wanting to update my blog, but I can’t seem to think of a new theme (posting theme, not design theme). Also, finding time to post is difficult because of new priorities and interests.
Demographics
What is your job title?
Director of Distance & Online Library Services
What types of organizations do you work for or with? (Check all that apply)
√ Academic Library
If you work for someone besides yourself, does that organization have rules about what you can share on your personal site?
√ Other: I’m not sure. There might be one now that wasn’t there 7 years ago.
What part of the world are you in?
√ Southwestern US
Thanks for reading! If you have a personal professional website that you’d like to talk about, please fill out the survey.
Hiring Librarians 