Allison Faix

Allison Faix is currently the Instruction Coordinator at Kimbel Library, Coastal Carolina University where she has worked as a librarian for the past 22 years.  She became interested in teaching source evaluation strategies with SIFT when she started seeking out new ways to help students recognize and avoid misinformation and disinformation when conducting research online.

Session: Teaching SIFT

Amanda Johnson

Amanda Johnson started her journey in libraries 10 years ago and has since worked in academic, public, and state government environments. Starting out she spent many years on public service desks, leading programs and helping community members find and use information. These daily interactions led Amanda to pursue her interest in building skills and strategies to help libraries uncover community needs, develop effective services, and demonstrate value to all levels of stakeholders.

Session: Racial Equity Toolkit

Anna Peitzman

Anna Peitzman is the NC Cardinal Project Manager at the State Library of North Carolina and has her M.L.I.S. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Anna oversees consortium-wide projects, leads the Student Access and Resource Sharing programs, and acts as the chair of the NC Cardinal User Experience Committee. Anna is dedicated to making information accessible for all.

Session: Racial Equity Toolkit

Bethany Geiger

Bethany Geiger is the Digital Inclusion Librarian at Stanly Community College. She was hired through a SLNC Adapts Grant to provide outreach and instruction to Early College and Career & College Promise students. Prior to coming to Stanly Community College, Bethany worked in busy public libraries in both Colorado and North Carolina with a focus on planning and implementing adult programs. She believes libraries are places for creativity and discovery for all and thinks library instruction should be fun and engaging.

Session: Digital Inclusion Librarian

Brittany Champion

Brittany N. Champion (she/her/hers) has over 10 years of experience in librarianship. Champion currently works at Pitt Community College as an Instruction and Outreach Librarian. Prior to her work at PittCC, she worked as an Adult Services/YA Services Librarian at Wayne County Public Library. She received her Master’s in Library Science from North Carolina Central University in 2018. Champion currently serves as the Chair of the Roundtable for Ethnic Minority Concerns, a section of the North Carolina Library Association. She also serves as the President of the North Carolina Community College Library Association (NCCCLA) and on the NCCCLA Equity Sub-Committee as a member.

Session: Improving Recruitment and Retention Efforts in Community College Libraries to Support Underrepresented Library Employees

Carlos Grooms

Carlos Grooms is a University Library Technician with over ten years of academic and public library experience and a master’s degree in Library Science. At Greensboro Public Library, Grooms established an introductory level computer class to combat technology inequities in marginalized communities. At F. D. Bluford Library, Grooms had the pleasure of serving as the Community Engagement Committee co-chair. The committee spearheaded school supply drives, exam study break programs for students, and employee social events.

Session: Improving Recruitment and Retention Efforts in Community College Libraries to Support Underrepresented Library Employees

Cearra Harris

For the last decade, Cearra Harris has worked diligently to find the “spice” of her community, creating outreach programs that focus on teens’ immediate needs. She received her MLIS from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Cearra’s career began at Richland Library in Columbia, SC. While working at Richland Library, Cearra fell in love with programming and developed a strong passion for serving underserved communities. She previously worked for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system as a Teen Librarian. Cearra was a 2018-2019 YALSA Spectrum Scholar and a 2020 Young Researchers Professional Development Fellow with the University of Illinois iSchool. Cearra is now a Presidential Fellow and Richland Library’s 2021 Ethel Bolden Minority Fellow. She is currently a doctoral student in the School of Information Science at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Session: Pathways to Equity in Library and Information Science

Courtney Bippley

Courtney Bippley is a Reference Librarian at Durham Technical Community College. She hosts the podcast, Out Loud in the Library, which started in Fall 2020. Her interests are community building, sustainability, and effective communication.

Session: Learning as We Go

Courtney Brown

Courtney Brown serves as Systems Librarian for the NC Cardinal Consortium. She supports Cardinal libraries in using the consortium’s Evergreen ILS Software. She also focuses on migrating new libraries systems into the consortium

Session: Racial Equity Toolkit

Dana Glauner

Dana Glauner has been a librarian at South Piedmont Community College for 9 years and is currently the Assistant Director of Library Services.

Session: Hiring Practices in Community Colleges

Donte’ Perry

Donte’ Perry has over six years of experience in the library field and more than four years of experience in technology. Currently, he works for the U.S. Government Accountability Office in the Information Systems and Technology Services (ISTS) department. He also works on library systems projects with the GAO Applied Research and Methods Center for Library Science. Recently, Donte’ accepted a part-time Librarian position with Johnson and Wales University. Previously Donte’ worked and interned for the EPA, FEMA, VA, Duke University Libraries, Johnson C. Smith University Library, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries. Donte sees himself in the future attending a Ph.D. program to obtain his Doctorate in Library and Information Sciences with the professional goal of being a Director of Library Services for a Presidential or Government Library.

Session: Improving Recruitment and Retention Efforts in Community College Libraries to Support Underrepresented Library Employees

J. Denice Lewis

Denice started at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library in March 2019. She received her BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and graduated with her MLIS from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in 2019. In between Electrical Engineering and Library Science, Denice picked up an Associates in Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu Scottsdale. She is a member of the American Library Association (ALA), the North Carolina Library Association (NCLA), and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

Session: Conducting STEM Research

Jasmine K. Rockwell

Jasmine K. Rockwell is the Youth Services Consultant for the State Library of North Carolina and specializes in developing CE opportunities and grant opportunities, as well as consulting on everything public libraries offer for people age 0-18 in their communities. Earning a MLIS from Louisiana State University she served in the same role at the South Dakota State Library for 12 years before moving to North Carolina to serve in her current role in 2017.

Session: Racial Equity Toolkit

Jeffrey Hamilton

Jeffrey Hamilton, adult services consultant, leads statewide initiatives for adult services and programming. He also serves as State E-Rate Coordinator for public libraries.  He has been in the Library Development section at the State Library of North Carolina since 2007, and previously worked for Wake County Public Libraries for 16 years.

Session: Racial Equity Toolkit

Jenny Thomas

Jenny Thomas is the Director of Library Services at Randolph Community College in Asheboro, North Carolina. She has been a librarian at Randolph since 2014. She holds a Master’s in Library and Information Studies form the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has worked in community colleges since graduating in 2013. This is her first year serving on the CJCLS board. She also serves on the Dogwood Digital Library Consortium board, the North Carolina Community College Archives Association board, and the North Carolina Community College Library Association board. Jenny enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, three dogs, listening to audiobooks, drinking coffee, and yarn crafts.

Session: What is CJCLS? Why Join?

Joan Hill

Joan Hill is the Reference & Instruction Librarian at Andrew Carnegie Library, where she coordinates instructional services and serves as the liaison to the business division. Joan is active in multiple organizations. She serves as Secretary & Treasurer for REMCO and has been a member for several years. Joan is also Chair of the RIO Affinity group of the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Libraries.

A believer of life-long learning. She supports the ideas of promoting positive change and committing to represent and serve our diverse communities within librarianship. Joan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (B.A.) and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (M.L.I.S.).

Session: Improving Recruitment and Retention Efforts in Community College Libraries to Support Underrepresented Library Employees

Joel Ferdon

Joel Ferdon serves as the Director of Library Services at Stanly Community College. When he is not zipping around the library, he enjoys hiking, gardening, and spending time with his wife, son, and their three black labs.

Session: Evergreen ILS

Lauren Clossey

Lauren Clossey entered the library field in 2007 and has experience in public, school, and academic libraries. She began as a public library page and assistant while attending library school at North Carolina Central University, then worked for 6 years as an elementary school media specialist before joining the State Library of NC in July of 2016 as the Continuing Education Consultant. In 2021, Lauren earned a master’s degree in Learning Design and Technology from North Carolina State University

Session: Racial Equity Toolkit

Leander A. Croker

Leander A. Croker is the Business Services Manager for Durham County Library, in Durham North Carolina. Leander is focused on building Durham County Library’s “Entrepreneurial Education and Support” programming in three ways: 1) financial and business literacy programming, 2) professional development for key library staff in entrepreneurial support, and 3) intentional local partnerships to create an ecosystem of support. This multifaceted approach is nurturing entrepreneurs, strengthening staff capacity to deliver high-quality services, and positioning the library as a relevant and active partner in the Durham entrepreneurial ecosystem. Leander knows access to information can change lives and librarians play a pivotal role in that exploration. Leander, originally from Dayton, Ohio, received her undergraduate degree in History from Winston-Salem State University and M.L.I.S from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Session: Improving Recruitment and Retention Efforts in Community College Libraries to Support Underrepresented Library Employees

Leigh Russell

Leigh Russell is the Library Director at Pitt Community College and holds an MLS from North Carolina Central University. Prior to joining PCC, she was the Library Director at Pamlico Community College and held various positions at Auburn University and East Carolina University.

Session: Battle Burnout Like a Boss

Lisa Shores

Lisa has been at her current position at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College as the Coordinator of Library Services since 2008. At Rowan-Cabarrus, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the North Campus Library in addition to having responsibility for collection management for all campus library locations. Other responsibilities include, staff supervision, cataloging, resource budget management, assessment, and staff professional development and training. As part of the leadership team, Lisa also participates in strategic planning for the library. During her library career, she has maintained continuous involvement in local, state, and national professional organizations, serving in various leadership capacities. However, she finds the most satisfaction working with local and state organizations, such as NCCCLA and NCLA. She feels these organizations provide a better opportunity to network with librarians across the state who share the same passions, issues, and challenges. Lisa is from Salisbury where she and her husband of 35 years raised two sons. In her free time, she enjoys reading, knitting, traveling, and spending time with her 3 ½ year old granddaughter Arlie, and she’s anxiously awaiting the arrival of grandchild #2 in August.

Session: What is CJCLS? Why Join?

Lynda Reynolds

Lynda Reynolds has 30 years of professional experience having earned a Masters in Library and Information Studies from the University of Oklahoma and was director of the Stillwater Public Library (OK) for 17 years. Upon moving to North Carolina in 2018, Lynda joined the State Library of North Carolina as the Public Library Management Consultant and serves as the State Library liaison to the Friends of North Carolina Public Libraries (FONCPL).

Session: Racial Equity Toolkit

Meredith Lewis

Meredith Lewis is a Librarian at Durham Tech, primarily working from the Orange County Campus in Hillsborough. She runs the annual recreational reading challenge, Read Great Things (in its fifth year!), and is passionate about empowering information seekers, encouraging community, and cats.

Session: Learning as We Go

Morgan Pruitt

Morgan Pruitt is the Outreach and Assessment Librarian at Central Carolina Community College. She graduated from Appalachian State University with a Master’s degree in English in 2015 and from University of North Carolina – Greensboro with a Master’s in Library and Information Studies in 2020. In her free time, she likes to read cozy mysteries, knit, and bake.

Sessions: Visual Literacy; Hiring Practices: New Graduate Perspectives

Rich Garafolo

Rich Garafolo is the Director of Library Services at Lenoir Community College where he has served in the role since 2014.  Rich is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College and received an MLS degree from North Carolina Central University. Prior to working at LCC Rich served as a reference librarian at Seymour Johnson AFB in Goldsboro where he provided reference assistance as well as library instruction to five satellite college campuses housed in the education building on the base. 

Session: Evergreen ILS Discussion

Robert James

Robert James provides leadership for the library at Nash Community College in Rocky Mount. He is an MLS alumnus of the School of Library and Information Sciences at North Carolina Central University. During his career Robert has worked in community college, university, and medical libraries. His professional values include social justice in library collections, resources, and services. 

Session: DEI Committee Information Session

Sarah Koonts

State Archivist, Sarah Koonts, has worked for the agency since 1993 serving in a number of roles since her first position with the audio visual unit.  Appointed as State Archivist in 2012, Koonts has focused her tenure in the position on increasing outreach programming, expanding capacity in electronic records preservation and management, and in national advocacy for archival programs through the Council of State Archivists and allied organizations.  She has worked with the State Historical Records Advisory Board to develop and expand the Traveling Archivist Program.  Koonts is a board member of the North Carolina Community College Archives Association.

Session: History for All the People

Shamella Cromartie

Shamella Cromartie, MLS, is Associate Dean for Hunter Library at Western Carolina University. She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University’s Master of Library Science program and has worked in public and academic libraries. She began her college career and professional library career with community colleges and continues to believe in the values and experience of community colleges. Currently, her work emphasizes strategic planning, public relations and diversity, equity, and inclusion in library services. Her research agenda focuses on the library’s role in social justice and equity, as well as, equity in education. Cromartie takes a special interest in the recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations to the library profession and was honored by the Roundtable on Ethnic Minority Concerns of the North Carolina Library Association, as a Roadbuilder’s Award Winner for Academic Librarianship for exemplifying courage, integrity, and perseverance in the field of librarianship. In addition to a Masters in Library Science, Cromartie holds bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice and Political Science and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Carolina University.

Session: Keynote Address

Shannon Paul

Shannon Paul has been a librarian for over 30 years.  She is currently a Librarian at Richmond Community College where she wears many hats including collection development, resource sharing, instruction, and outreach and engagement.   Her interest in outreach and engagement began with her first job in a public library and has carried over to all subsequent positions. She is always, desperately, curious to know how other librarians get things done.

Sessions: Hiring Practices in Community College Libraries; NCCCLA Redistricting

Staci Wilson

Staci Wilson is the Executive Director of Learning Support at Catawba Valley Community College.  She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds an MLS degree from North Carolina Central University.  She serves as a Director on the Executive Board for ACRL-NC Section of NCLA and is the current Chair of the Council of Community College Library Administrators.   Staci is also the proud mom to two daughters and wife to Jeremy.  When she is not dealing with their shenanigans, she enjoys watching MTV’s The Challenge and doing escape rooms.

Session: Evergreen ILS Discussion

Tammy Baggett

Tammy Baggett is the Director for Durham County Libraries. Tammy received a B.A. in speech communications/public relations from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She is a graduate of North Carolina Central University, where she received her Master of Library Science. She has worked at William Madison Randall Library at UNC-Wilmington, New Hanover County Public Library, Forsyth County Public Library, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, as well as the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

She is a member of the American Library Association, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, and the North Carolina Library Association, and is a past President of the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association. Tammy also serves on several boards in her community and is a member of the County Manager’s Executive Leadership Team. She is a monthly presenter for the Durham County Leadership Academy. She is passionate about delivering quality library services in Durham County, where her team places a high emphasis on improving literacy in Durham and offering programs that enhance digital inclusion as it relates to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM). She also enjoys giving back to the profession by mentoring others.

Session: Improving Recruitment and Retention Efforts in Community College Libraries to Support Underrepresented Library Employees

Tiffany N. Henry

Tiffany N. Henry (she/her) is the Discovery Cataloger and assistant professor at UNC Greensboro. Her primary duties include cataloging, metadata wrangling, and supporting UNCG’s institutional repository. Her research interests include critical cataloging and inclusive metadata.

Session: Critical Cataloging, the User, and You

Tim Hunter

Tim Hunter is Library Director at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.  Before coming to Rowan-Cabarrus, he worked as a Librarian at Alston & Bird Law, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, Catawba College, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Session: What is CJCLS? Why Join?

Touger Vang

Touger Vang is Director of Learning Resources and Professional Development Coordinator for Montgomery Community College located in Troy, North Carolina since October 2019.  He holds a Master’s in Library and Information Studies from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  He has worked with refugees and first-generation college students in North Carolina for over 15 years.  His experience and research with underrepresented populations inform his community-engaged approach in delivering library and information services.  Raised in the Hmong tradition and growing up in the United States, he is aware of the value of preserving traditional cultural heritage and the need to provide multilingual information access in today’s culturally diverse communities.

Sessions: NCCCLA Redistricting; History for All the People

Tristan Daniels

Tristan Daniels is the Academic Engagement Librarian of Kimbel Library & Bryan Information Commons at Coastal Carolina University. Although only into his second year as a professional librarian, Tristan has nearly a decade of experience working in higher education and has three times that much experience playing and creating games. His workshops are marked by innovative approaches and fresh perspectives. The drawback: he’ll probably talk about Star Wars or Batman at some point.

Session: Teaching SIFT