Feature Friday: Meet our Newest Business Librarian
Posted August 19, 2022 in Feature Friday, JMU Libraries News
Meet our newest liaison librarian: Valerie Linsinbigler!
JMU Libraries is working to meet the growing demands for information skills in business disciplines. Valerie Linsinbigler is joining Elizabeth Price as a liaison librarian who will work exclusively with College of Business students, faculty and staff.
JMU’s liaison librarians are experts at finding, using, and sharing information relevant to their disciplines. They consult on research projects and assignments, teach class sessions and workshops to build information skills, and curate the libraries’ electronic and print collections in support of teaching and learning at the university. Valerie will be the liaison for the departments of Accounting, Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics, Finance & Business Law, and Economics.
Valerie is joining JMU Libraries from George Mason University, where she worked as an Online Learning Specialist. Her professional interests involve instructional design and designing online learning objects.
Q&A
Q: What excites you most about your new position?
A: I’m excited to be supporting the research efforts of the faculty, staff, and students in the College of Business. I remember writing a business plan as part of my undergraduate degree and how overwhelming that was. I’ve heard a lot about the business plan assignment students undertake in the COB 300 Integrative Business course. I look forward to helping the COB 300 students through that and other pivotal research assignments they face while pursuing their degrees.
Q: What was the business idea you pitched as an undergraduate?
A: I pitched an idea to start a late-night cookie delivery service on my campus, since we didn’t have anything like Campus Cookies or Insomnia Cookies around us. I definitely think it was a good idea. However, knowing what I know now, I’m sure my business would have failed. I made a lot of assumptions in my business plan that better research would have helped me avoid.
Q: What would you like everyone at JMU to know about you?
A: I decided that I wanted to be a librarian when I was 15 because I really enjoyed learning through self-discovery and research. All these years later and I’m still very much passionate about helping others navigate the overwhelming amount of information that exists today. So please reach out! Even if I don’t always know the answer, I look forward to discovering it with you.
Q: What’s one tip you think everyone should know?
A: This was a tip shared with me from a really busy graduate student and I thought it was brilliant. They combined exercise and learning by using Adobe Reader’s text-to-speech function to listen to articles and other readings while they were taking walks.
Q: What’s a Harrisonburg restaurant that you’re excited to try?
A: I’m really excited by how expansive Harrisonburg’s food scene is. One of the many things I’m excited to try is Strite’s Donuts. They’ve been recommended to me a few times as the place to go for fresh donuts.
Q: Tell us about one of your hobbies!
A: I love collecting hobbies and trying new things. Right now, I’m taking advantage of the beautiful area and getting back into hiking and running.
Thanks for helping us to welcome Valerie Linsinbigler to the JMU Libraries team!