Hello! My name is Vanessa Garofalo. 

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I consider myself a modern librarian and visual artist. I have more than 14 years of experience working in academic libraries. My passion for working in higher education began early in life. I have worked in many areas of academic libraries, including: reference & instruction, administration, technical services, collection development, and more.

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As an academic librarian, and someone who can be equally creative and analytical, I am always looking for ways to push the limits and think creatively about how academic libraries can evolve to better meet the needs of today’s library users. Design thinking is an important part of that process. 

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As a leader, and someone who has been in several management positions, I firmly believe in leading by example. I also feel that it is essential to listen to and consider the thoughts and ideas of others, as everyone has something to contribute, regardless of their position.

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Creativity is my passion. I am a visual artist. Though I am not formally trained in photography, graphic design and video production, I am constantly looking for ways to learn and hone my craft through a variety of webinars, workshops, and classes. I have used these skills in order to create marketing materials and learning objects for academic libraries. Library marketing and outreach is an area that I feel is of particular importance. If students and faculty are not aware of the services and resources that are available, or understand how to use them, then thousands of dollars are wasted each year.

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Today's students have a different perspective of learning than what the Library & Information Science profession has been used to in the past. Students are, for the most part, very connected to technology. Therefore, I think it’s extremely important that technology be an integral part of how we design and deliver library services. Students also come from very diverse backgrounds. It is important that we as librarians and educators respect and value that diversity and use it to inform our pedagogy.

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My personal brand as an academic librarian is  "Modern Librarian Memoirs".  My "memoirs" are a compilation of thoughts, graphics, and learning objects that can be found on my website, social media sites, blog, and YouTube channel.