Dream Jobs Panel
Brought to you by Student and New Professionals Advisory Council, Membership Advisory Council, and SLA Michigan.
Information professionals are in high demand and bring unique skill sets to a range of organizations. Please join us to learn about the interesting and exciting work being conducted by SLA members in a variety of roles at different types of organizations. Learn what a “typical” day looks like for them, how their career path lead to their current role and what skills they deem essential for success. Leverage their insights to better position yourself for your next opportunity!
• Seema Rampersad, Senior Business Researcher & Service Manager, The British Library
• JonLuc Christensen, Records Management Specialist/FOIA Liaison, NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Kat Siddle, Sample Librarian, Lululemon
• Clara Williams, Library Manager, Atlanta Botanical Garden
View the Recording Here
Password: Dream2020!
Bios:
JonLuc is a Records Management Specialist, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Liaison, and Information/Configuration Management Engineer (I/CME) for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In addition, he specializes in archival administration and provides several support roles to JPL Archives. Christensen holds a Masters of Library and Information Science degree and an Advanced Certificate in Digital Assets Management and Services from San José State University’s (SJSU) School of Information (iSchool), as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History and minor in anthropology from the California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). He has served SLA in a variety of leadership roles and is currently President-Elect of the Southern California Community. This year he was named a 2020 James M. Matarazzo Rising Star by SLA.
Seema is currently the Senior Business Researcher and Service Manager, the Business & IP Centre at the British Library, and is also the President of SLA Europe. Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, Seema Rampersad went to London England to study Information and Communication. She worked for the Intelligence Unit at the Greater London Authority and for PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Business Information Centre for many years. Seema is currently working at the British Library’s Business & IP Centre for start-up and growing businesses. She is still an advocate for traditional library and information services and skills. Though, in both roles, she has continued to use new technologies for collaborating across subject areas and borders. At present, she is interested in social media and the use of multimedia as business and professional development tools for managing and delivering information and knowledge.
As lululemon’s Sample Librarian, Kat manages the product archive at the company’s headquarters in Vancouver, BC. This hybrid library-archive is composed of clothing, accessories, skincare products and beverages from lululemon’s past. Primary serving the design and legal departments, the archive’s mission is to preserve lululemon’s design history and make it accessible to anyone at the company who is conducting research or looking for inspiration. During her 12 year career, Kat has worked in public, academic, and special libraries, with a short stint in copywriting. When she’s not managing the archive, she likes to read, write, and walk at night listening to spooky podcasts.
Dr. Clara R. Williams currently serves as the Librarian at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. With 40 years of professional experience in libraries and information service, Clara has worked in academia and corporate environments, including Clark Atlanta University (formerly Clark College), Georgia Institute of Technology, Mercer University, Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Argosy University, and Art Institute of Atlanta. She has also served as an information service consultant in the Atlanta area. A long-time member of the Special Libraries Association (SLA), Clara served as a Convener for the Diverse Issues Caucus, and she coordinated SLA plenary sessions in earlier years. Clara is currently a member of the Library Management Division and Education Division. She is a member of the Georgia Chapter of SLA. Clara holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Michigan and a Doctorate of Education from Argosy University. She can be reached at cwilliams@atlantabg.org
