Speakers & Authors

Speaker

Biography

Greg Adams

Dr. Adams is a former faculty member of Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Social & Decision Sciences and held research appointments at Harvard and the University of Michigan.   He currently serves as a research consultant to governments, non-profits, and large corporations.

Presenting: Customer Service Survey Tips for Libraries

Don Allen

Don has been a member of the Montana State Library Commission for six years.  Previously he was a member of the Parmly Billings Library Board and the Parmly Billings Library Foundation Board.  Don served as chair for all of the library organizations cited and was just recently elected to serve once again as the chair of the State Library Commission.

Presenting: Conversations with your Montana State Library Commissioners 

Colet Bartow

Colet Bartow is the Library Media Curriculum Specialist at the Montana Office of Public Instruction. Information literacy and quality school library programs are the focus of her work.

Presenting: School Libraries and Learning in the 21st Century

Carina Beck

Carina Beck earned her Doctorate in Education from Montana State University and her Master’s in Communication Studies from The University of Montana.   She has a research interest in uncovering effective methods for retaining members in an organization (whether new employees or students at a university).  Beck also serves as the Director of MSU Career, Internship & Student Employment Services where she is able to regularly observe on boarding practices of a broad spectrum of organizations.

Presenting: Socialization of the Employee: It’s About Building an Organizational Culture Committed to Employee Success.

Paula Beswick

Paula became the first full-time Foundation Director for the Bozeman Public Library Foundation in July 2007. Her role with the Foundation is two-fold: raising funds and creating Library programs and events to benefit the community. Paula also serves as the media spokesperson for the Foundation.

Presenting: Building Community Partnerships at Your Library

Julie Boggs

Julie has been in the business of movie licensing at Swank Motion Pictures for five years. Swank has been in business for over 60 years.

Presenting:  Lights, Camera, Popcorn! The Ins and Outs of a Successful Movie Night @ the Library Program!

Sheila Bonnand

Sheila Bonnand is an Assistant Professor and Reference Librarian at MSU who has been a librarian in Montana, Washington and Alaska, serving as both an academic librarian and a school librarian. She is a  member of MLA's Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Presenting: Live from the Library: Real-time Library Instruction for Students at a Distance and Banned in the Big Sky: The New Montana Book Challenges Poster

Beth Boyson

Beth Boyson is an 'Army Brat' born at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, home of the Screaming Eagles, and was raised in New England. She earned her Master of Library Science degree at Simmons College in Boston. Beth facilitates the Friends of the Library Book Club, selects the biographies and several areas of non-fiction, and catalogs several formats of material for the Library. She has worked at Bozeman Public Library since 1996. Beth lives in Bozeman with her husband, dog and two cats.

Presenting:  It's Good to Have Friends: Friends Groups for Academic and Public Libraries

John Byrnes

John is an actor and theater educator based in Chicago. He is a proud member of The Hypocrites with whom he has played in Frankenstein, The Hairy Ape (a co-production with the Goodman Theatre) and the smash hit Our Town, among many others. Other recent credits include All My Sons with Timeline Theatre and The Overwhelming with Next Theatre. John has also appeared in numerous radio and television commercials. He has taught with the Chicago Academy for the Arts, A Crew of Patches, the YMCA, Gallery 37, the Actors' Gymnasium, the Huntington Theatre, Boston University's Theatre Institute and many others. John earned a BFA in Acting from Boston University's School For the Arts.

Presenting: Montana Shakespeare in the Parks

Mary Bushing

Mary Bushing says she was destined since birth to be a librarian and has tried to be a good one. She has worn many hats and since retiring from MSU-Bozeman she  has done consulting and training  full-time in the U.S. and overseas. She has a passion for what she does but thinks that maybe real retirement is on the horizon.

Presenting: Knowing What It Takes to Provide the Best Possible Mystery Collection In Your Library and  Workplace Civility: Holding One Another Responsible for Behaviors in the Library Workplace.

Amy Cannata

Amy Cannata is the Communications Director for ACLU of Montana and is a strong advocate for both libraries and intellectual freedom.

Presenting: Banned in the Big Sky: The New Montana Book Challenges Poster

Tate Chamberlin

Tate is the founder of Chamberlin Productions, a dynamic group of students, volunteers, businesses, and artists who further the community in appreciation and involvement of the arts.

Presenting: Building Community Partnerships at Your Library

Cindy Christin

Cindy has been a children’s librarian at the Bozeman Public Library for 21 years and also serves as Youth Services Consultant for the Montana State Library.

Presenting: "Make a Splash!": Sharing Summer Reading Ideas and Serving Families with Children Ages 0-5 at Your Library: Easy Ways to Start Now

David Chrzanowski

David is touring for the first time with MONTANA SHAKES! after three fall tours with Shakespeare in the Schools and having directed the 2006 SIS production of The Comedy of Errors. He has also spent two summers as an actor for the MSIP summer tour. Based in Chicago, David’s theatre credits include The Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens, Milwaukee Rep and the Chicago, Kentucky and Notre Dame Shakespeare Festivals. As a company member of Silk Road Theatre Project, he is lead teaching artist for their education program.

Presenting: Montana Shakespeare in the Parks

Jason Clark

Jason A. Clark builds digital library applications and sets digital content strategies for Montana State University Libraries.

Presenting: Digitization Boot Camp

Brian Close

Brian is a member of the Lawyers for Libraries training program and also specializes on 501-C3s.

Presenting: It's Good to Have Friends: Friends Groups for Academic and Public Libraries

Bill Cochran

Bill Cochran has been Director of Parmly Billings Library since 1990 and served as MLA President 1998-1999.  He has been a member of the Billings Mayor's Committee on Homelessness since 2006 and has been Co-Chair for Project Homeless Connect events held at the Library annually since 2007.

Presenting: Home Away From Homelessness: Providing Library Services to the Homeless

Melody Condron

Melody Condron is the Collection Management Librarian for the Lincoln County Public Libraries. In her rural library system, she is responsible for purchasing, cataloging and managing donations. She is also a frequent presenter on topics including genealogy, grant writing, Microsoft Excel, poetry, and origami.

Presenting: Making Your Library Genealogy Friendly, Creative Collection Management for the Rural Library and Building Community Partnerships at Your Library

Tracy Cook

Tracy is a consultant for the Montana State Library.  She works with public libraries in Montana on a variety of issues.  She is also a support person for AskMontana, a virtual reference cooperative.  When Tracy isn't working she enjoys hiking, golfing, and canoeing.

Presenting: Laws You Need to Know and  Montana Library Certification Program 2010

Milla Cummins

Milla Cummins has been the director of the Livingston-Park County Public Library for 16 years.  Not a devoted movie-goer herself, Milla has been able to rely on the library's dedicated and enthusiastic Friends group to develop and implement a film program for her community.  Prior to her arrival in Montana, Milla served as the supervisor of current periodicals at the Golda Meir Library of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Presenting: Lights, Camera, Popcorn! The Ins and Outs of a Successful Movie Night @ the Library Program!

Thale Dillon

Thale Dillon is the Director of Economic Research for Montana KIDS COUNT. Though raised in Norway, she has received both her undergraduate and her graduate degree in the U.S. Ms. Dillon has applied her economics degrees to both tourism and forestry research before committing to her current field, where she focuses on issues that will advance awareness and understanding of Montana’s vulnerable children and families.

Presenting: Investment in Early Childhood

Joyce Doyle

Joyce Doyle served as a newspaper editor and reporter at several weekly newspapers, and as a speechwriter/public relations writer at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She worked in public libraries for six years and academic libraries for two years.

Presenting: Target Marketing: Aim to Sell Your Library

Ken Egan

Ken Egan became Executive Director of Humanities Montana in February, 2009. Prior to that he served as department chair and professor of English at Rocky Mountain College and Drury University (Springfield, MO). He served on the board of Humanities Montana.

Presenting:  Humanities Montana Today--and One Book Montana

Kari K. Eliason

Kari Eliason is the High School Media Specialist and Library Director of Manhattan Community and School Library. She has been on staff for three years. Currently she is pursuing her MLS from the FSU College of Information. She earned undergrad degree from the University of Wisconsin, Superior.  High School Students are some of her favorite people and she enjoys teaching the yearbook class and coaching the Speech and Drama Team. When she is not busy at school she enjoys reading, hiking and spending time with her family.

Presenting: Digital Story Books

Rishara Finsel

Presenting: Lights, Camera, Popcorn! The Ins and Outs of a Successful Movie Night @ the Library Program!

Amy Foster

Amy Foster is the Team Leader for Cataloging & Processing at Montana State University.  She has been with MSU for more than 10 years and a librarian for 17 years. Amy, a native Montanan, was raised among the golden wheat fields of north central Montana, and is an alumnus of MSU.

Presenting: Let's Talk About. . . Space!: Leading an Organization Wide Targeted Strategic Planning Discussion.

Joyce Funda

I have a full time practice entitled Funda Arbitration and Mediation Services in Kalispell, Mt and am an attorney , licensed in New York State since 1984.  I currently serve as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers as well as the President of the Board of Directors, CASA of Montana Inc, Helena, Mt.  I am also a member of the following organizations:  Planning Board, Lake County, Montana,  CASA (Court appointed special advocate) for kids, Flathead County, Citizens review Panel, United Way of Northwest Montana, and the Montana State Library Commission.

Presenting: Conversations with Your Montana State Library Commissioners

Betsy Harper Garlish

Presenting: Barbarians In The Stacks: Collection Development

Roberta Gebhardt

Roberta graduated from Montana State University – Bozeman with a BA in English Education and a minor in Library Science.  She began working at the Montana State Library in 1997.  She went on to pursue her MLS in 2004 and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2006.  She currently works as the Technical Services Librarian at the Montana Historical Society. 

Presenting: Cataloging Made Simple and Using Montana Primary Sources to Open Minds and Expand Horizons

Mary Gerlach

Presenting:  Lift off @ Your Library

Michael Gonring

This is Michael’s fourth time touring with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, and he has now gotten to be a part of it in every season of the year. Previously, in the Parks, he appeared in Heartbreak House, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Loves Labours Lost and The Winter’s Tale and most recently, was seen as Rodrigo in the Shakespeare in the Schools tour of Othello. When he’s not in Montana, Michael works as an actor in Chicago. He would like to thank Joel and Will for giving him this opportunity and his gigantic family for their love and support.

Presenting: Montana Shakespeare in the Parks

Sara Groves

Sara is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Montana State Library. Prior to her work with the State Library, Sara worked in various marketing capacities for a private consulting firm, the American Library Association, the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. She has also worked as a professor of writing for Tulane University and the University of New Orleans, and as a creative writing instructor at a maximum security prison. Sara has published numerous short stories, poems, and essays. She also writes a weekly newspaper column on parenting. Sara and her husband have two busy little boys named Mike and Peter.

Presenting: Serving Families with Children Ages 0-5 at Your Library: Easy Ways to Start Now

Mary Anne Hansen

Mary Anne Hansen is an Associate Professor and Reference Librarian at MSU Bozeman.  She also serves as Distance Education Coordinator for The MSU Libraries.

Recently she was awarded a $251K grant along with James Thull to support the annual  Tribal College Librarians Institute they co-coordinate at MSU.

Presenting: Significant Tidings, Grants 101: How Do I Start and Where Do I Look for Funding Opportunities? and Live From the Library: Real-time Library Instruction for Students at a Distance

Cheryl J. Heser

A long-time teacher of English and public speaking as well as an established presenter for MLA, Cheryl Heser is the Director of Rosebud County Library in Forsyth.  She spends her time between the library, caring for her elderly father, and enjoying her wonderful grandchildren.  She also is a published writer of poetry and a Lewis & Clark cantata.

Presenting: You, Too, Can Be a Presenter!: Public Speaking 101 for PR & CE and Montana Library Certification Program 2010

Samantha Hines

Samantha Schmehl Hines received her MS in Library and Information Science from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2003.  She has worked as a cataloger for the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids and as a reference librarian at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa City.  In 2004, she was hired by Mansfield Library at the University of Montana-Missoula and is currently the Distance Education Coordinator/Social Science Librarian/Reference Desk Manager.

Presenting: Librarians at the Bounds of Rationality: How Bounded Rationality can Help Us Help Others

Jane Howell

Jane is the Director of Library Services at Montana State University Billings Library.

Presenting: Home Away From Homelessness: Providing Library Services to the Homeless

Sue Jackson

Presenting: Montana Library Certification Program 2010

Joel Jahnke

Joel Jahnke has been with the company since 1977 and served as designer before becoming Artistic Director in 1980. He has designed, directed and acted in over 300 productions. His directing credits for Shakespeare in the Parks include The Taming of the Shrew, Tartuffe, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Imaginary Invalid, Cyrano de Bergerac, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, Scapina, The Winter’s Tale and many more. He has also directed for the Magic Circle Mime Company in Seattle, Washington, The Montana Repertory Theatre and most recently directed a production of The Comedy of Errors for greasy joan & company in Chicago.

Presenting: Montana Shakespeare in the Parks

Skeeter Johnston

Skeeter Johnston is a life long folk dancer who learned the craft from Millie and Von von Konsky as a camp counselor at a summer camp in the Sierras and with Louise Jorgensen in the public school system she attended. Ms. Johnston has taught children over the years in recreation programs,  Girl Scouts and at last year's Summer Reading Program in the Flathead Valley.

Presenting: Folk Dancing for Your Library

Scott Juskiewicz

Presenting:  Barbarians In The Stacks: Collection Development

Anne Kish

Anne Kish lives in Twin Bridges where she serves on the public library Board of Trustees.  She works in Dillon at the University of Montana Western and is an instructor for the University of Montana's K-12 Library Media Endorsement program.

Presenting: Rousing Reads: Favorite Picks From the 2009 Montana Book Award Committee and Montana Library Certification Program 2010

Kathy Klotz

Kathy Klotz is Executive Director of Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) and Reading Education Assistance Dogs®. Schooled in the humanities and a veteran of 26 years in corporate life, she finds the human-animal bond to be one of the most powerful and effective forces for enhancing quality of life.

Presenting: From Mundane to Marvelous: The Joys of Reading to Dogs

Gail Kouame

Gail Kouame is the Consumer Health Coordinator for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region (NN/LM PNR). Their office, located at the University of Washington in Seattle, represents the National Library of Medicine to five states: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Ms. Kouame’s niche is working with other professionals who are interested in serving the general public, especially surrounding issues of access to quality health information in order to equip people to make appropriate health care decisions.

Presenting: Can I Wash My Fruit with Comet? Discovering How to "Go Greener" at Work and at Home

Molly Ledermann

Molly Ledermann is a Reference Librarian at the Missoula Public Library in Missoula, MT.  In charge of adult non-fiction collection development, she also chairs the library’s adult programming committee, runs the library’s book discussion and book discussion kit programs, participates in a variety of outreach activities, and is an enthusiastic Readers’ Advisor.  She earned her MLS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2006 and set foot in Montana for the first time when she took her position in Missoula shortly thereafter.  

Presenting:  Readers' Advisory 101

Teresa Makela

Teresa Makela received her bachelor’s degree from Montana State University, Bozeman and her Library Media endorsement from the University of Montana – Western.  She is currently in her third year as a K – 4 Librarian in the Evergreen School District.  Prior to this position, she was a secondary math teacher for twelve years in Montana, Oregon, and Colorado.  Teresa has worked as a Project Coordinator for the Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Program traveling around the state providing presentations for high school students regarding financial literacy and student loans.  Her experiences have helped her assist others in her district to begin implementing projectors, SmartBoards, and CPS units into their classrooms.

Presenting: Using SmartBoards and the CPS in Libraries

Beverly Marsh

Presenting:  Digitization Boot Camp

Pad McCracken

Pad McCracken taught high school English in Western CO and Central WA before moving to Helena MT and scoring the position of Teen Services Librarian at Lewis & Clark Library.

Presenting: Building Public Library/School Partnerships

Sarah McHugh

Sarah McHugh is Statewide Projects Librarian at the Montana State Library.  She is involved in implementing numerous statewide library projects, including courier services, subscription database and OCLC product purchases and downloadable E-content services.  Sarah was the Director of the Montana Shared Catalog from 2002-2007.  She serves as the State Librarian’s appointee on the BCR Board of Trustees and on the OCLC Web Scale Management Services Advisory Council. Sarah holds an M.A. in History from the University of Montana and an M.L.S. from Syracuse University.

Presenting: Montana Courier Pilot

Lauren McMullen

Before coming to the Montana State Library in March 2006, Lauren was Director of the Carnegie Public Library in Big Timber, Montana.  She earned her MLIS from the University of North Texas in August 2006.

Presenting: You Can Learn It! and Cataloging Made Simple

Alice Meister

Alice has been the Director of the Bozeman Public Library for over 10 years and lead the drive for the new library. Prior to Bozeman, she was the Director of the Sheridan Library for 16 years.

Presenting: Building Community Partnerships at Your Library

Maggie Meredith

Maggie Meredith is one of three Statewide Technology Consultants for the Montana State Library.

Presenting: It's Good to Have Friends: Friends Groups for Academic and Public Libraries

Susie McIntyre

Susie is a fourth generation Montanan although she spent ten years in Seattle getting her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science and running the AIDS Resource center for the Public Health Department. After moving back to Montana seven years ago, she worked for Voices of Hope (a small non-profit that works on mental health, suicide, and anti-violence issues). She continues to be an advocate and crisis-line volunteer. She loves being a librarian and believes that public libraries are the cornerstone of democracy. She is currently the Head of Information Services for the Great Falls Public Library. She has a wonderful 14-year-old daughter and a puppy that does not behave. Most days at lunch she goes to karate class and in the evenings she and her family spend time watching movies, reading books, and being fabulous.

Presenting: Home Away From Homelessness: Providing Library Services to the Homeless and You Can Learn It!

Montana Library Certification Program Focus Group

The Montana Library Certification Program underwent an update during 2009. Montana State Library staff and an 11-member Focus Group of volunteer librarians, library support staff, and trustees worked together on the update.

The Focus Group members represented all types and sizes of libraries, came from all parts of the state, and shared a strong commitment to the value and importance of continuing education for librarians.

Presented by:  Liz Babbitt, Honore Bray, Tracy Cook, Mary Ann George, Cheryl Heser, Sue Jackson, Anne Kish, and Darlene Staffeldt.    

Adam Munson

Born in Anaconda, MT, Adam has been interested in the internet and its capabilities of bringing people and ideas together over wide spaces and interests since childhood. A degree in Technical Communications from Montana Tech has set the groundwork for Adam to meet the challenges of creating engaging web sites for diverse organizations. In addition to his work in web site design for Paydirt Design LLC, Adam is active in his the Montana Rugby Union and in his local Kiwanis Club.

Presenting: Optimizing Your Library's Web Presence

Hannah Nash

Presenting: Lift off @ Your Library

Samantha Pierson

Sami Pierson is Director of the Lincoln County Public Libraries and Vice-President/President-Elect of MLA.  She received her MLIS from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2007 as a PEEL Scholarship Recipient.   During  her graduate work, she researched policies relating to serving the homeless.

Presenting: Rousing Reads: Favorite Picks From the 2009 Montana Book Award Committee, Home Away From Homelessness: Providing Library Services to the Homeless and Lift off @ Your Library

Richard Quillin

I am retired CIO for public cooperation, city and state governments.  I am currently the Vice Chair of the Montana State Library Commission and Head Librarian for a hospital library. 

Presenting: Conversations with Your Montana State Library Commissioners

Nancy Rosen

Presenting: From Mundane to Marvelous: The Joys of Reading to Dogs

Doralyn Rossmann

Doralyn Rossmann is the Collection Development Librarian and an Assistant Professor at Montana State University  Libraries in Bozeman, where she has been since 2001.  Her research interests include human resources, distributed leadership, organizational dynamics, staff development, and bibliographic control of e-materials.  Doralyn has worked in academic libraries in North Carolina, Chicago, Houston, Wyoming in the areas of Reference, GIS/Government Documents, Systems, and Collection Development.  She is a 3rd generation librarian.

Presenting: Let's Talk About. . . Space!: Leading an Organization Wide Targeted Strategic Planning Discussion.

Anita Scheetz

I am a native Montanan and I have been involved in libraries since I was a child.  I have been working in libraries since 1980.  I have been a school librarian, public librarian, academic librarian and now currently a tribal librarian.  I am delighted to have been appointed to the Commission.  I am going to be the best representative I can be from the “the East!”   Please contact me if you have issues that you feel need to be brought to the attention of the State Library Commission.

Presenting: Conversations with Your Montana State Library Commissioners

Ron & Barb Scherry

Ron and Barb Scherry are retired Montana educators. In 2000, they purchased Great Northern Book Co. Ron facilitated the writing of the Montana State Reading Standards and is a published author for the International Reading Association. Barb is a past recipient of the Montana State Reading Council's Pam Atchison Award.

Presenting: What's New in K-12 Literature

Keith Seyffarth

Born in Billings, MT, Keith started using the internet in 1989 to help people having problems with their fish tanks. The ability of the internet to share aquarium information with people in many locations led Keith to publish his first web site, The First Tank Guide, in the early 1990s. Since then, Keith has designed and developed web sites for a large number of businesses and organizations to help them meet their business goals. When not working on his or clients web sites, Keith enjoys caring for aquariums, maintaining muscle cars, and reading. Keith is active in his local Kiwanis.

Presenting: Optimizing Your Library's Web Presence

Justine Shaffner

Justine Shaffner, Library Services Consultant - Public at BCR, provided public library reference services for eleven years and helped start AskColorado, a statewide virtual reference service.   At BCR, she writes a blog for public libraries at http://blogs.bcr.org/publiclibraries/  and is heavily involved with the Reference Renaissance 2010 conference.  She's also done training on Friends of the Library and on ways libraries can provide Recession Relief Resources

Presenting: Ever Green and The 24 Hour Library – Increasing Your Database Use

Randy Silverman

Randy Silverman, Preservation Librarian, University of Utah Marriott Library, has 30 years experience in the field of library conservation and holds a Masters degree in Library Science. He is adjunct faculty with Emporia State University and University of Arizona and teaches disaster planning for WESTPAS in the West. He served as a consultant for Colorado State University Library following the 1997 flood that damaged 425,000 books, and was among the first conservators to reach Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina (2005). In 2007 he received the Utah Humanities Council’s “Humanities Award.”

Presenting: Protecting Library Collections from Disasters

Darlene Staffeldt

Darlene has worked at the Montana State Library for 33 years and has worked in all of the departments and at many different positions, the five years as State Librarian. My husband Bill and I have raised two wonderful daughters, Carla and Dora. If there is time beyond work and family commitments, I like to do counted cross stitch, ceramics, read trashy novels, work sudoku puzzles, and take long walks. My main goal for the library community in Montana is that no Montanan walks away from any Montana library with anything except the highest respect and greatest satisfaction! Montana's libraries serve their users well!

Presenting: Conversations with Your Montana State Library Commissioners and Montana Library Certification Program 2010

Zoe Ann Stoltz

Zoe Ann Stoltz is the Reference Historian for Montana Historical Society Research Center. After growing up in eastern Montana, and raising three daughters in the northwestern corner of the state, Zoe Ann pursued her dream of becoming a Public Historian.

Presenting: Using Montana Primary Sources to Open Minds and Expand Horizons

Sonja Woods

Sonja Woods, Director of the Miles City Public Library, BA Rocky Mountain College (Spanish/History).

Presenting: Lift off @ Your Library

Donna Worth

Presenting: Lights, Camera, Popcorn! The Ins and Outs of a Successful Movie Night @ the Library Program!

Greg Young

Dr. Young developed the Bozeman Symphony Outreach Program and served for three years as Head of the Department of Music at Montana State University where he is currently Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.  In addition, Greg oversees the annual MSU Summer Reading Program and hires the author to speak at Freshman Convocation.

Presenting: Building Community Partnerships at Your Library