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I wanted to start a blog that would be a sounding board for my work in a brand new position at the University Library at Kent State University, as their Digital Projects Librarian.

This is likely take the form of things I'm fired up about on that particular day, projects I feel inspired about (or frustrated by), and then likely some random rants along the way.

A bit of background about where I am coming from- Coming into this new position at Kent is in many ways a full circle for me. I am a Kent native and twice over KSU alum. I've spent a good portion of my life in/around the Kent area, and am personally pretty thrilled to be back in the city limits for work. I most recently came from a position managing the institutional repository at Case Western Reserve University for the past 6 years as their Digital Librarian, and have also been teaching adjunct at the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State since 2011. Before that, I had worked in the museum and art gallery settings in New Orleans and Los Angeles. I'd like to think I come to the table with a variety of skills and experiences, though when I think about it, I really did take a strange path to get to where I am today. But in so many of these newer librarian roles in the digital realm, there really wasn't a clear path that I could have taken to get here in a way.

The world of digital libraries and digital librarianship is still in many ways in its infancy and still being defined and developed to keep up with changing technologies and platforms. That's the exciting and also scary part- So much on-going development means persistent flux. Many of my skill sets have been picked up along the way as needed usually at a project basis, and this part continues to challenge and interest me thoroughly. I've always thought this is an interesting niche to be- A place that bridges traditional librarian roles with the IT and systems world. I've often felt to be a translator between IT oriented people and the rest of the library staff. I enjoy the challenge that digital media brings, from preservation to access to ever changing technologies and tools that accompany the capture and delivery of digital media.

The biggest change for me currently, is to really take one big step back and think about digital initiatives in a larger, broader, more encompassing approach than my role at Case had entailed. In many ways I have felt lucky to be at this juncture- A new position brings many choices and paths to chose and tailor without having to pick up the pieces of a previously defined path. That also brings many challenges with it- Lots of work to accomplish these goals particularly from the get go, and also adapting to a different framework from my previous position. There are some existing homegrown digital collections that I would like to see migrated into another platform, but it's exciting to me to start with a (relatively) clean slate.

I'm excited to see what the future will bring in this position, and my first goal is to bring together a working group of individuals who have a stake in the digital projects arena (cataloging, public services librarians, IT/development staff and myself), and then set out to define a solution for our scenario here at Kent.

The second goal that really is fundamental to future projects and building a sustainable digital projects program is to start connecting with people and create working relationships that may not have previously existed here at UL. One advantage that I've felt in these early weeks is to reconnect with old friends, previous student supervisors and other Kent townie connections that I've been fortunate to have accumulated over the years to start some of these initial conversations. I have alot of love for my hometown, and love the return to my roots along the Cuyahoga River. There used to be a rumor when I was in college about a Native American belief that this river somehow always brings you back home eventually- Some strange pull to return to its banks. Well, here I am.

Virginia Dressler, MA, MLIS

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