Let’s shine the Member Spotlight on Yuimi Hlasten from Denison University!

What is/are your role(s) in academic libraries?

We are a small college, so my roles within academic libraries are dynamic, often influenced by the collaboration of colleagues. Currently, my primary responsibilities include the management of LibGuides A-Z, EZProxy, collection of COUNTER usage reports, troubleshooting e-resources, managing Denison Digital Commons’ faculty and student collections, and a little bit of database cataloging. Also I participate in the Library’s IDEAA Committee and Marketing Committee.

What do you like most about academic library work?

What I find most enjoyable about academic library work is the continuous learning and challenges. Just last week, one of my student workers presented a Python automation solution for tasks I had been manually handling in LibInsight. This encapsulates the essence of academia – people around me think a lot harder than I do, on problems that may appear to be already solved, but not actually at all. This continuous intellectual engagement keeps me on my toes. Just when I start to feel like I’m finally making progress, there’s always somebody who surprises me with incredibly powerful ideas, leaving me with an absolute sense of defeat. It is dreadful, but it’s probably the magical energy of academia that lots of us come to appreciate in the end.

What are some interesting projects you’ve been involved with lately?

I recently had the privilege of serving on NISO 2024’s Scholarship Committee, which led me to attend NISO 2024 in Baltimore. Through my participation in the scholarship candidate selection process at NISO, I gained firsthand insight into the evolving landscape of the library industry. Our people are changing, and I could discern this shift by reading the candidates’ essays. It’s been an incredibly valuable experience to witness the aspirations and enthusiasm of young librarians as they dream and envision the future of the library industry.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

When I started my career, I had nothing. Leaving behind my carefree college life in Pennsylvania, I arrived alone in Denver in 2005, as a new librarian, in a city totally unfamiliar to me. I still remember gasping for air during my very first jog, wondering why I got winded so quickly.

I had no furniture, no transportation, no friends. I spent two years sleeping in a sleeping bag. All I had was a laptop, phone cable, and NetZero. I can still hear the sound of the phone jack connecting to the internet– a mad bee zooming back and forth– the sound of the world connecting to me.

It wasn’t until I started taking the public bus that I began to encounter people. Passengers on the bus often struck up conversations with me when I least expected it, always starting with what seemed like a loud monologue, kind of like a radio show you aren’t really paying attention to. These were random people, intersecting with my life, and there were occasions when I had to leave their houses and walk alone through unfamiliar neighborhoods in the middle of the night, realizing they weren’t really my friends. I always clutched my Nokia candybar phone tightly during those night walks, hoping it would finally ring and someone would tell me how to fix my badly injured life. But my Nokia never rang.

One day, my best friend in Pennsylvania told me to contact someone she knew in Denver. I said yeah, but she said, “You need a friend, and I’m not kidding.” After meeting this connection through my best friend’s friend, I started socializing with people from the University of Denver, and slowly my ordinary life began to take shape.

In the first two years in Denver, I felt a big gaping hole of emptiness, constantly sucking me in. Strangely, every time I felt so miserable, I was pulled up by something huge, a powerful stream of force that defies explanation. Perhaps it’s called youth, but I don’t know. Once in a while, I still find myself reminiscing about those incredible two years filled with both struggles and dreams.

Why did you join ALAO?

I absolutely adore the warm and welcoming atmosphere among ALAO members. The spirit of Midwest charm definitely lives right here in ALAO. As someone mentioned during my very first ALAO event, ALAO conferences are the best venues for having presentations. The people in this community are not only so kind but also exceptionally supportive.

Some of you may recall my first ALAO presentation last year, during which I grappled with engaging the audience. I just didn’t know what I was doing. However, multiple librarians and professionals in the audience stepped in, so naturally, offering incredible assistance that allowed me to salvage what could have otherwise been a disastrous presentation. I was so grateful, although I wasn’t at all surprised by the outpouring of help. This is simply the norm within ALAO. Every time I attend, I am reminded that ALAO is a community that genuinely has your back when you give your best effort.

–Laura Birkenhauer, Membership Chair, Miami University