The following UW SLIS Alumni have provided some biographical information about themselves and have agreed to serve as contacts for individuals seeking more information about life and library positions in Montana and/or the University of Washington School of Library and Information Science.
Stacey graduated in 1991 and moved to Montana in 1992 to be the Library Director at Salish Kootenai College, which she did until 1997. She graduated from Univ. of Montana Law School in May and passed the bar this past summer. She got exactly the job she wanted and is now working as the Reference Librarian at the UM Law School Library. Stacey also teaches Legal Research at the Law School, and Estates and Probate at the UM College of Technology paralegal program.
Stacey Gordon
stacey@selway.umt.edu
Jameson Law Library
UM School of Law
Missoula, MT 59812
(406) 243-6808
Lisa Mecklenberg Jackson, currently the Electronic Services Librarian, at the State Law Library in Helena, was a 1997 graduate of the UW library program. She was one of the dreaded law librarianship students. While at UW, Lisa worked as a graduate assistant for former library professor Carol Doll. As some of you may know, Dr. Doll focused her teaching on young adult and children's topics. Lisa believes this has helped her to deal with the attorneys she meets each day! At UW, when not sitting in the back of the classroom, Lisa was active with the library science softball team (the Bunheads), and she and fellow library science major, Diana Inch, represented the school well by winning the UW campus two-on-two volleyball tournament. Showed those people what librarians can do!
Lisa has been at the State Law Library since she graduated from the UW program in August of 1997. She loves her job, but loves Montana even more. She stays busy at work conducting research for attorneys, fixing computers, and handling the law library's Web site. She is also active in many professional organizations including the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), the Western Pacific Chapter of Law Libraries (WESTPAC), the State, Court & County Special Interest section of AALL (SCCLL), and the Montana Library Association (MLA). Lisa is incoming chair of the Academic and Special Libraries Division (ASLD) of MLA. Lisa also remains active in the Minnesota and North Dakota Bar Associations. In her spare time, Lisa likes to hike with her two dogs, Ivan and Lena, and play all kinds of sports, including volleyball, soccer, golf, softball, and hockey.
Lisa LOVES Montana and can't think of anywhere else she would rather live. She feels the Montana library community is a small and close-knit group, giving everyone the opportunity to get involved. If you have any questions regarding law libraries, or libraries in general in Montana, Lisa would be happy to talk with you. (That is, if you can get her in off the mountains!)
Lisa Mecklenberg Jackson
ljackson@state.mt.us
Montana Legislative Reference Center
State Capitol Room 110
P.O. Box 201706
Helena, MT 59620-1706
(406) 444-2957--phone
(406) 444-2588--fax
Bruce Newell is the Director of the Montana Library Network. Working as a partner with Montana libraries, the Montana Library Network (MLN) ensures the delivery of quality networked library materials and services to Montana citizens through standards-based library automation systems
Bruce Newell
bnewell@state.mt.us
Montana State Library
PO Box 201800
Helena, MT 59620-1800
voice 406.444.9816
fax 406.444.5612
Suzanne Reymer graduated from UW SLIS Summer 1999 and was on the road to Montana before the ink on her diploma was dry. Suzanne is a Statewide Technology Librarian for the Montana State Library in Helena but is actually based at Parmly Billings Library in Billings. This provides the best of all worlds - a good supportive work environment - 240 miles away! She gets to spend a lot of time on the road visiting libraries in places unspoiled by tourists. In fact, she can recommend restaurants from Stanford to Broadus. Suzanne feels that Eastern Montana has a beauty all its own with numerous buttes and fascinating rock formations, not to mention lots of cattle and real cowboys. She likens the experience of being a library consultant to her Peace Corps experience in Poland except that in Montana most people speak English and she gets to drive a state car. Much of Suzanne's in office time is spent advising public librarians throughout the state on E-Rate (click for a rundown on the process including a 13 page pdf program description - pithy by SLD standards). This has been particularly challenging but she was recently awarded the title E-Rate Potentate in recognition of her efforts. The only indication that this new title has gone to her head is the fact that she now refers to staff at Schools and Libraries Division as her e-rate serfs.
Suzanne Reymer
sreymer@uswest.net
Statewide Technology Librarian
Montana State Library
c/o Parmly Billings Library
510 N. Broadway
Billings, MT 59101
Phone: (406) 255-0729
Fax: (406) 255-0732
Emily graduated from UW with the MLIS degree in the Fall of 1997. She started in
the Fall of 1994, so she guesses she was on the "laid-back" track. Emily worked as an
assistant to Ed Mignon, who was very good to her. Upon graduation she had a position in Seattle at what has
now become the Gates Library Foundation, but was at the time Technology Resource Institute. But
she grew up in Billings and was eager to return to Montana; five years of rainy winters in Seattle were
quite enough. So she snagged a job as webmaster at MSU-Billings in the
Fall of 1998. After two years there, Emily got a job at a private company called
Crytech which designs and develops web sites. Since then she has become a geek beyond
her wildest expectations - all sorts of programming and database stuff. She would have liked to work in a library environment, but
her career just seemed to turn in a different direction. However, she always attributes
library school as the turning point where her learning about computers and
the Internet began. Terry Brooks and Sam Oh especially are credited with giving
her her present understanding of database design and development, which has helped
immensely. And she wishes she would have taken more of Dr. Doll's classes because
she is such a special teacher, plus she saved Emily's life when she forgot to pick
up her master's exam!
Phone: 406-655-0501Emily Witcher
emily@crytech.com
Developer and System Administrator
Crytech