We are thrilled to get to spotlight one of our 2023 alums, Kellee Forkenbrock! Kellee works as a Public Services Librarian at the North Liberty Library, and has had an atypical but inspiring journey into the field. Kellee worked for twenty years in the private sector, before leaving it at the age of forty to pursue librarianship. Due to this leap, Kellee has had a very rewarding midlife career, including being awarded this past summer. She received the annual Beta Phi Mu Distinguished Member Award, which is given to acknowledge a member who makes outstanding contributions to Library and Information Science.
When asked about her favorite part of her current position, Kellee said that she wears many hats: “I wear a lot of hats in my role as Public Services Librarian: podcast host, art gallery curator, entrepreneurship liaison. My proudest moments in my role are whenever I am onboarding new Library Assistants or (better still) see my Assistants being promoted into new roles. I am so proud of our Library Assistant staff. They serve as the front facing line of our library and exhibit exemplary customer service.”
Kellee credits SLIS with honing her skills, benefitting her public library careers, notably our “classes in community engagement, metadata, and cultural competency in particular taught [her] about the history of public libraries and how essential outreach and support is for our institutions.” She implores current SLIS students to explore: “If you are studying archives, find time to volunteer at a public library. If you are a future teacher librarian, shadow a librarian in a medical setting. SLIS is the time to not only establish your chosen career path, but to be cognizant of other library options as well.”
Kellee invites any library professionals to get in contact with her, especially those interested in entrepreneurship or business. You can contact her on LinkedIn, which you can find tagged in our LinkedIn post or by searching her name. We are so grateful to all of our alumni, but especially those so open to the field and conversation!