Nancy is an Instructional Services Librarian at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. She has been a member of ACL since 2000. You can follow Nancy on Twitter @nrmcguire.
Describe yourself using a book title: As in Outlander, I’m a northerner who loves snow and cold, but have embraced the culture of a southern school and have learned to appreciate the mild winters and the little bit of snow that we have. When we arrived back in 2009 at BJU, it was like stepping back into history due to the fact that we had been on staff from 1972-1983 when I was the elementary school librarian. When Pillsbury Baptist Bible College closed, I was offered a library position at Mack Library. It was a blessing to come back and renew acquaintances with our friends and colleagues who were still here. The hard part of leaving our beloved north with our children and grandchildren, so we content ourselves by going back every Christmas and every summer to connect with family and friends. Perhaps in retirement we will travel north, rather than south. However, we aren’t ready to retire yet. We’re still having way too much fun.
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? I love being a librarian because I believe in lifelong learning and researching is a way to keep learning. I teach classes in information literacy making sure the students know the wealth of information they have at their fingertips.
What are you currently reading? Conversations on Religion with Lord Byron and Others Held in Cephalonia, A Short Time Previous to the His Lordship’s Death by James Kennedy (1833). This is a book that we replaced in our catalog with the link to the digital.
Describe ACL in three words: Friendly / Professional / Vital
How have you, as an academic librarian, contributed to your campus? I work with faculty to get their students up to date with the resources that they have available at the library. We as a team are taking every opportunity to find out what this generation desires in a library and have updated furniture in the library, allowed food and beverages, and created more collaborative spaces where they can have discussions.
I began my career as a librarian . . .at Bob Jones Elementary School. I was the first librarian they had and set up the library from pulling together classroom collections. I used Catalog Card Corporation in Minnesota to create the card sets for my 91 page list of titles, ordered more books to round out the collection, and told stories or presented book talks for 21 classes per week. It was a magical time.
What do you value about ACL? I value the friendships and the professionalism of the organization.
How were you introduced to ACL? Randy Miller introduced me to ACL and Libby Werner was my first conference mentor at Asbury University.
How are you or have you been involved in ACL? When I was at Pillsbury, I was involved with the Bible College Section (BCS) as an officer. I treasured my time working with the group.
Do you have any specific interests in the library world? I’m immersed in the databases and ebooks and love the technology.