About nengard / Nicole C. Engard  

So you want to know who I am? Well, here it goes. I received my BA in Literary Studies and Computer Programming from Juniata College in 2001 and my MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science) from Drexel University in September, 2007.

How did I make that leap? Well in 2001, after I graduated, I started as the Web Assistant at Jenkins Law Library in Philadelphia. In 2003, I was promoted to Web Manager. It was in my new role that I had the opportunity to work with members from all areas of the library world. I quickly fell in love with the profession and wanted to learn more. In addition to prompted me to find a way to learn more, my position at Jenkins also led me to being recognized as one of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers for 2007.

In my previous position as Metadata Librarian, at Princeton Theological Seminary, I worked very closely with both the Special Collections department and the Cataloging department to develop standards for our digital collections. This gave me the opportunity to really delve into the inner workings of collection development, cataloging and metadata development for libraries, opening even more doors for library learning.

All of this learning has lead me to my current position as Open Source Evangelist at LibLime. I now get to merge my love of learning, teaching, writing, technology and libraries all in one job where I go out into the community to increase awareness of open source offerings for libraries.

In addition to writing at What I Learned Today… I’ve also written for the newsletter of the Drexel Student Chapter of the SLA, Computers in Libraries, ONLINE Magazine and the Journal for Hospital Librarianship. I also enjoy sharing what I’ve learned with others by presenting. I have presented on Web 2.0 for the Greater Philadelphia Law Library Association (GPLLA), Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), Information Today Inc. and LaSalle University (see them all on my publications page).

I’ve also joined several library associations (see all of my memberships on my resume) and have volunteered for the Philadelphia SLA Chapter’s Technology Task Force and as the co-webmaster for the Greater Philadelphia Law Library Association (GPLLA). I love meeting new librarians and learning about how things work in other libraries. Joining these organizations has given me that opportunity and I try to attend as many events as possible.

In short, I’m both a technology and library enthusiast!