In an effort to build community and showcase the many talented info pros we have in the GLBT Issues Caucus we decided to introduce a new feature on the blog in which we post interviews with our membership. First up to bat is the incomparable, Mary Ellen Bates!
Mary
Ellen Bates hails from the San Francisco Bay area and lived in Washington D.C.
for a couple of decades. Now she is permanently rooted in the boondocks of
Colorado where she enjoys spotty electricity and cable connection and a
360-degree view of the horizon. The biggest noise during her day is her next
door neighbor’s pet ducks muttering to themselves. She lives with her partner,
Lin, a self-employed therapist, and their two dogs of undetermined heritage.
Mary Ellen received her MLS from University of California, Berkeley many moons ago and recalls spending many an all-nighter in the computer lab, typing keypunch cards and compiling programs. She had no idea what she’d do with the degree but has found the computer science and information science courses to be a great background for her current career. She stumbled into her first library job in the late 1970s totally by accident; tired of being a buyer for a department store, she went in to a law firm to interview for a paralegal job and wound up getting an offer to manage the law firm library's database of legal memoranda. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but is forever grateful that she didn't get that paralegal job!
Having worked in special libraries for over 10 years, she eventually launched her research and consulting business in 1991, Bates Information Services. She can’t imagine a more fun, challenging, or stimulating job and has been able to expand her business and vision of what she can do with an MLS degree to include all kinds of interesting projects.
She joined SLA in 1982 and the GLBT caucus around 1998. She has served as the caucus co-convener for two years and has been the list manager since around 2000. In addition, she has served as chair of the SLA Communications Division (now part of IT), and on various chapter and division committees. On top of that, she speaks and teaches frequently at SLA conferences and meetings. and is currently running for the SLA Division Cabinet-Elect position.
Here are some of her responses to my interview questions:
What sort of tasks do you do on a daily basis at your job?
“On a day to day basis, my job involves equal amounts of business research for business professionals and special librarians, developing workshops for special librarians and info pros, and writing about the information industry.”
How has the profession changed since you started your career?
“….while I'm tempted to say that the profession has changed radically since then, I'm not so sure that's true. I was fortunate enough to know Sue Rugge and Georgia Finnigan back then, two pioneers in the information brokering field, so even before I went to library school I knew that there were lots of options in terms of a career. Even back then, we were using online databases, focusing on added value (although back then, "added value" meant cutting and pasting a printout), marketing our services, and exploring what our roles would be. While we are using these skills in new settings now, my experience of the profession back in the 1970s was one of lots of innovation, challenge and exciting new resources, and that's still the case today."
What has SLA meant to you/how has it helped in your career?
“I can't imagine not being a member of SLA. It's where I go for much of my professional development, where I have been able to build networks and friendships with really smart and creative colleagues, and where I find new ideas and inspirations. Back in the day, being a "special librarian" was a curiosity, and I found it really helpful to have an association speaking and advocating on our behalf. Now, SLA is engaging in an alignment project to identify the key characteristics, functions and value of information professionals and it's even more exciting to be part of SLA. “
What do you consider the biggest issues facing librarians/libraries today, and if applicable, their impact on GLBT communities?
“I think that the main issues facing librarians, particularly special librarians, are providing true added value within our organizations, expanding our own visions of what being an info pro means, and ensuring that special libraries are seen as indispensable strategic resources within the organization.”
What do you consider the biggest issues facing the GLBT community today (challenges and/or victories)
“Equal rights in marriage and enforcing hate crime and anti-discrimination laws are two big issues for our community. As I watch more and more jurisdictions (including entire countries) remove their bias against marriage for all, I am encouraged; I expect that during my lifetime I will be able to marry my partner with all the legal rights attached to marriage.”
Any other interesting facts you’d like to share about yourself?
“I'd like to warn all GLBT members that attending the SLA conference can be, well, interesting. One year, the moderator gave me a tiara to wear, having heard something about how the GLBT caucus gives out tiaras (I know...huh?), so for the sake of the caucus, I gave a presentation in a ball room wearing a tiara. And I was in the airport leaving the conference another year, when a GLBT member's suitcase was searched and he had to explain his feather boas... Just be careful when someone offers you GLBT Caucus accessories!”