Faculty member presents at library conference
Article By: Clark Leonard
A University of North Georgia (UNG) faculty member made two presentations and offered resume assistance in January at the American Library Association (ALA) Mid-Winter Conference in Seattle.
Melissa Lockaby, assistant professor of library science and collection management librarian at UNG, presented on soft skills and how to approach job interviews. Conference participants ranged from those studying to be librarians to those who have been in the field for 20 or more years.
In the soft skills talk, Lockaby focused on social skills, adjusting to different audiences, email etiquette, how to be a good colleague, and networking in a way that's authentic. In her session about interviews, Lockaby discussed preparing for possible questions, being confident but not arrogant, pausing before answering questions, and following up.
"My interest is how I can help other librarians," Lockaby said. "I'm very interested in supporting the library community."
She enjoyed making connections in Seattle.
"I had a blast doing it. I met a lot of new people," Lockaby said. "It's fun to hear about what other people are doing in the field."