Every week until MLA ‘22 in New Orleans, we profile the experts leading each of the six Symposium sessions. This week, Montie’ Dobbins answers questions about herself and her session, Staying Ahead of the Future: Developing Your Library’s Collection Philosophy and Policy. To learn more about Montie’s session and the other five Symposium sessions, please visit the Symposium page.
What are you most looking forward to in New Orleans?
Montie': I’m most looking forward to seeing my colleagues in person and finding time to eat a piece of Doberge cake, even though it won’t be my birthday.
What’s a surprising fact about collection philosophy and policy that most librarians don’t know?
Montie': That your philosophy and your policy are not the same thing and that one should complement the other. (Hint: In part, your philosophy is what you want to do, and your policy is what you do.)
How did you get started in libraries?
Montie': In college, I had a work study position in the library and a part-time job in a law firm with a large, private law library. When it came time for me to graduate, a friend who was a library associate at the LSU Health Shreveport Medical Library, where I now work, recommended that I apply for her position, as she was about to relocate.
What’s the most challenging part of collection philosophy and policy for you personally?
Montie': It can be challenging sometimes, even a little frustrating, to have to quickly make decisions to keep up with unexpected wide-sweeping institutional changes.
What’s the main thing you hope participants will take away from your session?
Montie': A sense of hope. Libraries are experiencing a lot of changes, and that can be discouraging. Together, we can take a collective breath and find ways to shape our philosophies and policies to best serve our libraries and our institutions.