Tag Archives: LIS websites

Personal Professional Websites: Musings of a medical librarian

Sarah Visintini is a research librarian for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Ottawa, Ontario where she supports students and staff with their information needs related to research, patient-care, and education. In addition to her work at the Heart Institute, Sarah also supports reference and systematic review services at the University of Ottawa Health Sciences Library, and is an active member of the Ottawa Valley Health Libraries Association (OVHLA). Sarah is curious about a number of things right now, including knowledge synthesis methods and library service planning, provision, and assessment. 

What is your site’s URL?

https://www.sarahvisintini.ca/

What is your tagline or title on your site?

Musings of a medical librarian

Briefly, what is the current purpose of your site?

Warehouse for practical templates, tools and write ups related to systematic review searching (and previously to finding work as a medical librarian)

Was the original purpose of your site different from this current purpose? If yes, how and why did it change?

It started out as a way for me to showcase my web design skills and also projects that weren’t cut and dry like publications. Especially as an early grad when my CV was a little less tangible it was a helpful job application tool.

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?

Unsure. I’ve included it on my CVs all throughout and promoted it on my Twitter profile and through tweets. Hard to say if that tangibly added to my ability to find work, but I’m starting to use aspects of it now in my annual review process (“my tool was cited on these sites”) and in professional networking contexts folks will sometimes mention a blog I wrote, which is gratifying! I think it lent me a certain amount of credibility from early on.

About Your Site and Sites in General

Did you pay someone to design or build your site?

√ Other: Initially I made it but it had a bunch of bugs and the links were breaking, and I just had no capacity to sort it out on my own, so I hosted a student to fix part of it and then paid a company to fix the rest. More recently I gave up on the bugs and migrated to a new platform which will hopefully be more streamlined.

Which of the following content do you have on your site (check all that apply)?

√ Blog about professional topics

√ List of publications

√ 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)

√ ORCiD 

√ Twitter 

Is your site strictly library/archives/LIS related?

√ Yes 

When was your site last updated?

√ Within the last year 

What causes you to update your site, and about how frequently does that occur?

Bugs, lol. I leave it until it gets really bad and then I overhaul *sobs*

Does your site use any of the following platforms/services?

√ Squarespace (previously GoDaddy)

√ Squarespace (previously WordPress)

How much do you pay annually to run your website? (for numbers not in American dollars, please use other)

√ Other: $240 or so

Do you allow comments on your site?

√ No 

Do you have advertising on your site?

√ No 

Do you have analytics on your site?

√ Yes 

About how many people visit your site in a month?

√ My analytics aren’t optimized and I just migrated but right now it’s looking like 200/mo

Is having a personal website a “must”?

√ 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?

A little. I try not to put any more on there than what’s available on other platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter.

What advice would you give someone wanting to create their own personal professional site?

It’s pricier than I initially expected, so maybe have a plan for paying for the hosting and your domain, especially if you’re early in your career or in a feast/famine contracting scenario.

Demographics

What is your job title?

Berkman Librarian

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: To be honest I have no idea! Probably. But since my posts are exclusively professional I haven’t really worried about them, especially now that I’m “tenured”

What part of the world are you in?

√ Canada 

Thanks for reading! If you have a personal professional website that you’d like to talk about, please fill out the survey.

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Personal Professional Websites: Amy Seto Forrester

Amy Seto Forrester is a youth services librarian at Eugene Public Library who is passionate about diverse, engaging books for new readers. An active member of ALA and ALSC, she is co-founder and co-host of the Guessing Geisel blog and often writes for the review journal Kirkus. Her first children’s book Search for a Giant Squid, illustrated by her brother Andy Chou Musser, will be published by Chronicle Books in spring 2023. 

What is your site’s URL?

https://www.amysetoforrester.com/

Briefly, what is the current purpose of your site?

Promote my work as a children’s book author, as well as a children’s librarian 

Are you actively looking for work? (check all that apply)

√ Other: I have a full time job as a librarian and I write children’s books as well. 

About Your Site and Sites in General

Did you pay someone to design or build your site?

√ Other: My brother designed it for me. He’s an artist and graphic designer, so I’m pretty lucky!

Which of the following content do you have on your site (check all that apply)?

√ List of publications

√ List of presentations 

√ 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)

√ Email 

√ Twitter 

√ Instagram 

√ Other: literary agent’s email

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?

√ Within the last week 

What causes you to update your site, and about how frequently does that occur?

I have a book coming out in the spring and I’m finally able to post info on the site. Usually update 1-2x yearly

Does your site use any of the following platforms/services?

√ Squarespace 

How much do you pay annually to run your website? (for numbers not in American dollars, please use other)

√ $20.01-$50 

Do you allow comments on your site?

√ No 

Do you have advertising on your site?

√ No 

Do you have analytics on your site?

√ Yes 

About how many people visit your site in a month?

√ 51-250 

Is having a personal website a “must”?

√ Yes, for people who are independent contractors/freelancers 

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?

My name and workplace are out on the internet in a lot of places and have been for some time. I started blogging about 10 years ago as a way to demonstrate children’s literature knowledge before I had any official experience as a librarian. Since then I’ve used my online content to show my passion and knowledge, but also to share information and lift up issues important to children’s services and literature. 

What advice would you give someone wanting to create their own personal professional site?

Make it simple to navigate and update. Think about your audience. 

Demographics

What is your job title?

youth services supervisor

What types of organizations do you work for or with? (Check all that apply)

√ Public Library 

If you work for someone besides yourself, does that organization have rules about what you can share on your personal site?

√ No 

What part of the world are you in?

√ Western US 

Thanks for reading! If you have a personal professional website that you’d like to talk about, please fill out the survey.

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Personal Professional Websites: Lively Librarian

Shannon Distel worked in public libraries for 20 years most recently as the Deputy Director of a public library in a suburb of Chicago. 

In her role as an administrator, manager and librarian, she oversaw seven departments and daily operations of the main library, branches and bookmobile. Shannon currently lives in Chicago where she works for a non-profit assisting ESL learners with computer and job skills. In addition to her website, you can find her on Twitter @livelylibrarian    

What is your site’s URL?

www.livelylibrarian.com

What is your tagline or title on your site?

Lively Librarian

Briefly, what is the current purpose of your site?

Professional page with information on my career, training and presentations.

Was the original purpose of your site different from this current purpose? If yes, how and why did it change?

I started Lively Librarian as a blog at livelylibrarian.blogspot.com, the blog is still up but has not been updated since 2013.

Are you actively looking for work? (check all that apply)

√ Other: I am currently a yoga teacher and not actively looking for a job in libraries.

Has your site brought you any work? And if so, what?

Yes. I have been asked to present at conferences, instruct classes and been hired.  

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)?

√ List of presentations 

√ Your Bio

√ Your photo 

Which of the following personal links or connection methods do you provide on your site? (Check all that apply)

√ Contact Form 

√ Twitter 

√ Instagram

√ LinkedIn  

Is your site strictly library/archives/LIS related?

√ Yes 

When was your site last updated?

√ Within the last month 

What causes you to update your site, and about how frequently does that occur?

Inquiries into my background, training or presentations. 

Does your site use any of the following platforms/services?

√ GoDaddy 

√ WordPress (*not* WordPress.com) 

How much do you pay annually to run your website? (for numbers not in American dollars, please use other)

√ Other: Renewing my domain and domain privacy is $28.98 per year. 

Do you allow comments on your site?

√ No 

Do you have advertising on your site?

√ No 

Do you have analytics on your site?

√ No 

About how many people visit your site in a month?

√ I don’t know 

Is having a personal website a “must”?

√ Yes, for job hunters 

√ Yes, for people looking for speaking gigs

√ Yes, for people who are independent contractors/freelancers  

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?

I do not share where I am working or have worked on my website. I do not share my location or personal information. My bio is professional accomplishments, education and industry involvement. 

What advice would you give someone wanting to create their own personal professional site?

Less is more. Sharing general career information, training and education, awards and professional accomplishments is good to begin with. Unless you are willing to commit to growing an audience, blogging is usually a waste of time. If you want to share book reviews, programs etc., use social media. I use Instagram, TikTok and Twitter to share ideas and connect with library professionals. 

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your website? Or personal websites in general?

I blogged for years starting in 2007, I used analytics, and grew a large following thru regular blog posts and social media. Then social media evolved and people stopped reading blogs. A static website has served me better than the blog ever did and is 99% less work. For professional details I send people to my LinkedIn. 

Demographics

What is your job title?

Until September 2021 I was the Deputy Director of a public library. 

What types of organizations do you work for or with? (Check all that apply)

√ Public Library 

If you work for someone besides yourself, does that organization have rules about what you can share on your personal site?

√ No 

What part of the world are you in?

√ Midwestern US 

Anything else you’d like to say, to me or to the readers?

Professional websites are useful for job seekers, presenters, freelancers or influencers. The website creation is the most work, then the website works for you.

Thanks for reading! If you have a personal professional website that you’d like to talk about, please fill out the survey.

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Stats and Graphs: Privacy and Personal Professional Websites

Hello!

Back in June I put out a survey for LIS folks who have their own personal professional websites (kind of a mouthful, but it still seems like the best way to say it – I welcome your thoughts). 28 people responded, providing information about how, why, and what they put online.

As with all of my surveys, it’s still open! If you have your own website and would like to tell us about it, please go to the form here.

Today we are looking at the personal aspect of personal professional websites. I’m interested in how much personal information people are willing to share, and how any privacy concerns might be mitigated.

You will see that the majority of folks (22 out of 28) share their bio, and only slightly fewer (21 out of 28) share their photo.

Bar graph of responses to "Which of the following content do you have on your site (check all that apply)?"

Which of the following content do you have on your site (check all that apply)?

Resume or CV 15 (53.6%)
Descriptions or list of services you provide 8 (28.6%)
Blog about personal topics 7 (25%)
Blog about professional topics 11 (39.3%)
Book reviews 2 (7.1%)
Work Samples 12 (42.9%)
List of publications 17 (60.7%)
List of presentations 17 (60.7%)
References, testimonials and/or press 6 (21.4%)
Twitter or other social media feed 18 (64.3%)
Your Bio 23 (82.1%)
Your photo 22 (78.6%)
art 1 (3.6%)

The chart below shows that only half the respondents share an email or contact form.

Chart of personal links or connection methods provided on website. Contents in following text

Which of the following personal links or connection methods do you have on your site (check all that apply)?

Email 14 (51.9%)
Contact Form 14 (51.9%)
Form for people to subscribe to your content 2 (7.4%)
ORCiD 8 (29.6%)
GitHub 4 (14.8%)
Twitter 21 (77.8%)
Facebook 3 (11.1%)
Instagram 7 (25.9%)
LinkedIn 14 (51.9%)
Pinterest 0 (0%)
TikTok 1 (3.7%)
Tumblr 2 (7.4%)
YouTube 5 (18.5%)
Business phone number 1 (3.7%)
Reddit 1 (3.7%)

I will break out the email/contact form portion of this question a little further. One person did not respond to this question. Of the 27 remaining respondents, 8 provided email, 8 provided a contact form, 6 provided both a contact form and an email, and 5 provided neither an email or a contact form. These last 5 provided instead:

  • GitHub, Twitter
  • ORCiD, GitHub, LinkedIn
  • Form for people to subscribe to your content, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
  • ORCiD, Twitter
  • Twitter, LinkedIn

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?

  • Yes, I took my CV off after my course was done for this reason.
  • Yes, I am leery of my work being stolen or reused without permission. I add copyright statements to everything.
  • I do worry about plagiarism because I do have former assignments up there that I have considered taking down. As for personal information, the items that are up there are all stuff that’s easily found anyway.
  • I leave off graduation dates b/c of concerns over age discrimination. all my work info is discoverable on google anyway, so I don’t worry about that.
  • I do not share where I am working or have worked on my website. I do not share my location or personal information. My bio is professional accomplishments, education and industry involvement.
  • 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.
  • I don’t share a full CV or my address or anything, so no
  • I selectively leave out certain information about myself for content on the website
  • A little. I try not to put any more on there than what’s available on other platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter.
  • No, I don’t share a full resume
  • I don’t have concerns about the things that I share on my site. The things that I don’t want to be public for privacy reasons don’t get published.
  • I have a public resume on my website which does not list my address/phone/email address.
  • I have separate personal and professional social media accounts. I was thinking I should password protect my family history pages for the moment. No personal info on living individuals but just to be sure.
  • I do, but don’t take any particular measures other than not providing phone or physical address
    Somewhat concerned, I have my linkedin attached but that is publicly available. I am considering removing my email address and just having a contact form.
  • no phone number, address, or clickable contact links
  • I write under a pen name so my site isn’t directly connected to me personally.
  • no privacy concerns
  • I don’t share anything that I consider private (and I know that the distinction is subjective).
  • Business email and business phone line. I’ve never had a problem with those avenues being used for unprofessional purposes.
  • Not significantly, but I recognize the privilege that comes with that.
  • As a straight, cishet, white man (among many other privileges), I can be visible online without facing attacks or abuse. I know of other professionals (e.g. women of color) who maintain a minimal online presence because their identities are more vulnerable in our society. In a way, this is an example of the advantages that accrue to the already-privileged.
  • I use a contact form to avoid providing my email

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Personal Professional Websites: Dawn of Knowledge

Headshot of Dr. Melissa Atkinson. She is a white woman with blonde hair, wearing a peach blouse and black blazer. The background is black.

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?

Dawnofknowledge.com

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 

√ Twitter

√ Facebook 

√ LinkedIn 

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.

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Personal Professional Websites: Ideas about information

Ned Potter, a white man with brown hair and a salt and pepper beard. Holds a microphone and gestures with his hand.

Ned Potter is an Academic Liaison Librarian at the University of York, and a Trainer for various organisations across four continents, including the Bodleian, the British Library and the NHS. His book The Library Marketing Toolkit was published by Facet in 2012. Ned can be found online at ned-potter.com and on Twitter at @ned_potter.

What is your site’s URL?

www.ned-potter.com 

Briefly, what is the current purpose of your site?

To share ideas about libraries, marketing and social media. It’s also to tell people what sort of workshops I run if they want to book training, and to get tips and techniques out to people who can’t come my workshops.

Was the original purpose of your site different from this current purpose? If yes, how and why did it change?

Sort of. I set up my original site back in 2009 just as a blog, and it was called thewikiman because it was going to document the process of building a wiki… As you can imagine, that didn’t last! Since I changed it over to my own name in 2014 it’s had more or less the same purpose, as a sort of professional HQ for me in librarianship.  

Are you actively looking for work? (check all that apply)

√ Yes, for speaking gigs

√ Yes, for teaching gigs 

Has your site brought you any work? And if so, what?

I do freelance work half a day a week, running workshops. I have no idea what percentage of the work I get is directly because of the workshop, but plenty of people contact me via it asking for training. 

About Your Site and Sites in General

Did you pay someone to design or build your site?

√ I paid for a template (or templates) 

Which of the following content do you have on your site (check all that apply)?

√ Descriptions or list of services you provide

√ Blog about professional topics

√ List of publications

√ List of presentations

√ References, testimonials and/or press

√ 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)

√ Email

√ Twitter

√ Instagram

√ LinkedIn 

√ YouTube 

Is your site strictly library/archives/LIS related?

√ Yes 

When was your site last updated?

√ Within the last week 

What causes you to update your site, and about how frequently does that occur?

I used to blog ALL the time when I was young! Now I do it every so often. I’m more often updating my site, at least monthly, to put new workshops onto the Events page etc

Does your site use any of the following platforms/services?

√ Squarespace 

How much do you pay annually to run your website? (for numbers not in American dollars, please use other)

√  I think it’s $150 or something

Do you allow comments on your site?

√ Yes 

Do you have advertising on your site?

√ No. I get approached about paid posts all the time, I don’t understand how it can possibly be financially worthwhile for the people pitching! But I always say no. No ads, no paid-for content. 

Do you have analytics on your site?

√ Yes 

About how many people visit your site in a month?

√ 3001-10,000 

Is having a personal website a “must”?

√ 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?

I don’t share a full CV or my address or anything, so no 

What advice would you give someone wanting to create their own personal professional site?

Don’t feel you have to. If you have a purpose for it, then by all means go for it. But it’s such nonsense to say things like ‘it’s important to cultivate your librarian brand’ and that kind of pressure-making stuff. I like having somewhere to write stuff and for people to find me, but I work 10% of my time as a freelancer so I need that; not everyone does. 

If you do create one, don’t set yourself a target of how often to post to it. Momentum can be useful when blogging, but then not feeling stressed about not having blogged is useful too. When you have something to say, say it; when you don’t, it’s fine to step back and not try to force content.

Give people a NEXT STEP if they like your stuff. If they read a blog post and they want to read another, make that really easy for them (for example by having a ‘most popular posts’ sidebar next to the blog) – or make it easy for them to find your twitter if you’re happy talking to people there, etc.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your website? Or personal websites in general?

If you get a decent viewership for your website, there’s a good chance more people will read your blog post than will read a journal article. That’s no small thing. It’s a great way to reach people with ideas and things which people find helpful.

Demographics

What is your job title?

Academic Liaison Librarian 

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?

√ No 

What part of the world are you in?

√ UK 

Thanks for reading! If you have a personal professional website that you’d like to talk about, please fill out the survey.

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Personal Professional Websites: Katrina Burch

Katrina Burch has been an archivist since 2012 working in academic archives. She enjoys talking about how archives are important to today’s society. She is passionate about dogs, musical theatre, and history, as well as getting stories told. 

What is your site’s URL?

https://eportkbb.weebly.com/

Briefly, what is the current purpose of your site?

Currently it’s a way to house my final portfolio from school as well as my cv (though this needs to be updated). I also house several larger projects on it to give people an idea of projects I’ve worked on. I do have a separate site for book reviews

Was the original purpose of your site different from this current purpose? If yes, how and why did it change?

No

Are you actively looking for work? (check all that apply)

√ Yes, for full time work 

Has your site brought you any work? And if so, what?

No that I know of. I know people who I’ve interviewed with for positions have looked at and commented that it’s nice to have the projects there. 

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)?

√ Resume or CV 

√ Work Samples 

√ List of presentations 

Which of the following personal links or connection methods do you provide on your site? (Check all that apply)

√ Email  

Is your site strictly library/archives/LIS related?

√ Yes 

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?

when I remember to add something to my cv

Does your site use any of the following platforms/services?

√ Weebly 

How much do you pay annually to run your website? (for numbers not in American dollars, please use other)

√ $0 

Do you allow comments on your site?

√ No 

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?

√ No 

Is having a personal website a “must”?

√ 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?

I do worry about plagiarism because I do have former assignments up there that I have considered taking down. As for personal information, the items that are up there are all stuff that’s easily found anyway.

Demographics

What is your job title?

Archives Associate

What types of organizations do you work for or with? (Check all that apply)

√ Academic Library

√ Archives 

If you work for someone besides yourself, does that organization have rules about what you can share on your personal site?

√ No 

What part of the world are you in?

√ Midwestern US 


Thanks for reading! If you have a personal professional website that you’d like to talk about, please fill out the survey.

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Filed under Academic, Archives, Midwestern US, Personal Professional Websites

Personal Professional Websites: Systematic Review Librarian

Headshot of Stephanie Roth, who wears a black dress with white polkadots and a pearl necklace. She has long brown hair and is standing in front of a Magnolia tree.

Stephanie Roth is a medical research librarian and currently works in the academic setting where she serves as team lead of the systematic review service. She has over 10 years of experience as a co-authored systematic review librarian. In addition, she designed an open-access model for providing a team-based systematic review service and teaches the model to other librarians as an Medical Library Association (MLA) CE course, now webinar, Easy Steps to Building a Systematic Review Service. She is also the instructor for a Library Juice Academy course, Systematic Review Essentials and is currently serving as the Caucus Chair for the MLA Systematic Reviews Caucus. When she is not working she enjoys running, surface pattern design and spending time with her husband and two daughters.

What is your site’s URL?

www.systematicreviewlibrarian.com

Briefly, what is the current purpose of your site?

To share my systematic review work all in one place and to highlight my course. I also wanted to keep some of this work separate from my job so the two don’t overlap. My webinars and course must be worked on outside of work hours so it made sense to move it away from my job and have it live in its own place.

Was the original purpose of your site different from this current purpose? If yes, how and why did it change?

I bought the domain name before I knew what the purpose would be but the domain name was the inspiration. It was sort of ironic because I had hoped for an official systematic review librarian title at work so essentially I gave myself the title before anyone else gave it to me.

Are you actively looking for work? (check all that apply)

√ Other: I am always looking to grow and I am open to new opportunities whether that be internal or external.

Has your site brought you any work? And if so, what?

I have gained email subscribers and some interest in my course and the new self-paced course that I now have. Having that list was recently really helpful and allowed me to use my own internal network to find volunteers for my July webinar.

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)?

√ Descriptions or list of services you provide 

√ References, testimonials and/or press

√ 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)

√ Contact Form

√ Form for people to subscribe to your content

√ ORCiD 

√ Twitter 

√ Instagram 

Is your site strictly library/archives/LIS related?

√ Yes 

When was your site last updated?

√ Within the last month 

What causes you to update your site, and about how frequently does that occur?

If I have a change in a date a course is offered or once in a while I get the urge to change something.

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)

√ $20.01-$50 

Do you allow comments on your site?

√ No 

Do you have advertising on your site?

√ No 

Do you have analytics on your site?

√ Yes

About how many people visit your site in a month?

√ Other: It ranges from 50-300+

Is having a personal website a “must”?

√ 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?

No, I don’t share a full resume. I am very careful about how much private information I share. I try to stick with keeping the website and social media platforms strictly professional.

What advice would you give someone wanting to create their own personal professional site?

Don’t wait for perfection to launch. Get it done and then you can work on improving it over time. 

This is funny but I was once asked to design a website for a previous job and I didn’t know how to code so I used a basic Weebly account to design what looked like a more expensive and complex website. Librarians are usually pretty good at figuring things out! 

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your website? Or personal websites in general?

This is actually my secondary website. I recently upgraded my primary website (for surface pattern design) to WordPress Pro. I love all the features with Pro and I would love to upgrade this one at some point. The Pro version integrates much better with my email service provider and it would make signing up for my newsletter much easier.

What is your job title?

Biomedical & Research Services Librarian

What types of organizations do you work for or with? (Check all that apply)

√ Academic Library 

√ Other: Medical Library 

What part of the world are you in?

√ Northeastern US 

Anything else you’d like to say, to me or to the readers?

I haven’t had my website for that long, it is still very new. It only took minutes to create on WordPress and I do most of it from my phone. I was able to create it and then leave it which is nice. I also feel like I lucked out with the domain name! I love to search for domain names and once in a while something will stick. 

Thanks for reading! If you have a personal professional website that you’d like to talk about, please fill out the survey.

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Filed under Academic, Northeastern US, Other Organization or Library Type, Personal Professional Websites

Personal Professional Websites: Lisa Chen – Information Professional

Lisa Chen graduated from Western University with a Master of Library and Information Science in 2015. 

She works as an Information Management Analyst at the University of Toronto. When not working, she volunteers for NaNoWriMo and the ViMLoC Mentorship Program.

What is your site’s URL?

lisacchen.wordpress.com

Briefly, what is the current purpose of your site?

To share articles/tweets related to the information and library field, creative writing, career advice, and tours of libraries, art shows, and museums

Was the original purpose of your site different from this current purpose? If yes, how and why did it change?

Originally, it was set up for a class assignment to create a virtual presence for ourselves. It focused on librarianship only. It changed to include my interests such as creative writing and art because I wanted to use it as a personal blog.

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?

None 

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

√ Book reviews

√ Work Samples

√ List of publications

√ List of presentations

√ 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)

√ Contact Form

√ LinkedIn

√ YouTube 

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?

√ Within the last week 

What causes you to update your site, and about how frequently does that occur?

When I visit a place or have something to share, be it personal or professional. I strive to post at least 12 times a year.

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)

√ $0 

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 job hunters

√ Yes, for librarians

√ Yes, for people who are independent contractors/freelancers

√ Yes, for new LIS graduates 

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?

I use a contact form to avoid providing my email

What advice would you give someone wanting to create their own personal professional site?

Decide your scope and scale. If you only want to have some visibility on the web, you don’t need to blog, use Instagram, tweet, etc. Sometimes, a LinkedIn profile is all you need. If you want to be a children’s librarian who promotes books, set up a Goodreads profile or even a TikTok account. You don’t have to be on every platform creating content.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your website? Or personal websites in general?

You don’t need to purchase the domain. Sometimes, the cheapest solution is the best one.

Demographics

What is your job title?

Information Management Analyst

What types of organizations do you work for or with? (Check all that apply)

√ Academic Library

√ Other: University, as IT staff

If you work for someone besides yourself, does that organization have rules about what you can share on your personal site?

√ No 

What part of the world are you in?

√ Canada  

Thanks for reading! If you have a personal professional website that you’d like to talk about, please fill out the survey.

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