[resume: .swf]
Dear Mr. Duncan:

It is with great enthusiasm that I submit the enclosed materials for your consideration for the position of Digital Services Coordinator at the Colorado State Library (position #9055). In my years as a librarian, technophile, trainer, and de facto project manager, I have developed a professional skill set practically tailor made for this position.  In the position announcement that appeared on LibraryJobline.org, you sketch out your dream candidate with an expansiveness of vision matched only by the expansiveness of the vision for the project itself. While you admit that you are asking for more than most can deliver, I think you’ll agree that I can deliver more than most.

[What follows is a link-rich delineation of where my skills and experience match those required to take the CVL and develop it into vibrant Colorado community space.]

You are looking for someone with a proven record of successful project management.
From my first internship in graduate school through my current position at BCR, my ability to coordinate and lead projects has become one of my greatest professional assets. An example of such leadership is the Utah State Library’s Website in a Box project. In my position at BCR, I was asked by the USL to conduct a six hour workshop that would teach librarians with no prior web design skills how to get a website up and running from start to finish. I immediately identified this as a fool’s errand – any class that purports to do that in six hours is the technological equivalent of snake oil. Instead, I worked with the USL to determine exactly what their needs were and to build a sustainable solution. They did not, in fact, need web design classes. They needed easily updatable websites for 10-15 small libraries that did not have in-house design skills. Working closely with USL, I set up a WordPress implementation for each participating library, and was then able to teach the librarians, in six hours, how to take control of the content of their websites in order to keep them current and valuable to their communities.  All of this was accomplished on schedule and within budget, and the USL and the participating librarians have been exceptionally pleased with the project outcomes.  You can view the websites that have resulted by visiting http://utahlibraries.org/website/.  You can also view a selection of other projects managed at http://www.drumm.info/category/projects-managed/.

You are looking for someone with outstanding customer service skills who can work and communicate effectively with diverse populations.

In the years leading up to my decision to enter graduate school for library science, I spent several years working as a retail bookseller and in admissions and academic counseling at two colleges in the Phoenix area. My natural aptitude and affinity for customer service were revelations to me, and my love of customer service was among the reasons I chose to enter the field of librarianship. The customer service skills that I gained in those years have greatly informed my professional experience. Those early jobs also gave me endless opportunities to exercise and improve my communication skills – skills which have been essential to my success as an instructional academic librarian and as a trainer and consultant at BCR.  My ability to understand and respond to the needs of project stakeholders and to communicate effectively with them has greatly benefited me professionally. Academic libraries are often challenging environments in which to achieve consensus and drive progress. I’m proud to say that at the Houston Community Colleges I spearheaded two successful large-scale efforts: the complete redesign of the library website and the reconfiguration of the delivery of library services to distance students and faculty. Both of these projects involved multiple departments and required vision and flexibility. They also required the ability to herd cats, as it were – to negotiate and to work to find common ground and align all parties toward a shared goal.  I am convinced that the only reason both projects were successfully completed was my ability to work closely with diverse groups with disparate interests and forge alliances strong enough to move the projects forward.You can see before and after screenshots of the HCC websites below.
Before: After:

You are looking for someone who is technologically adept and who can use those skills to envision and create a vibrant online space for the Colorado Virtual Library.
As an emerging technologies consultant and web designer, it is my business to stay on top of current technology trends and to find the most realistic and valuable ways to incorporate useful new tech tools into library settings.  As a technology consultant at BCR, I travel the country to teach and learn from librarians who are working toward enhancing their libraries’ services through the implementation of such tools as blogs, wikis, RSS, social networks, and more.  You can see a complete list of the technologies I’ve mastered and trained on at http://www.drumm.info/category/workshops/.  I keep my web-design skills current by undertaking any design projects I can get my hands on. I am skilled in hand coding HTML and CSS as well as working with open source content management systems like WordPress and Drupal to create dynamic, interactive web spaces.  You can see a list of some of the websites I’ve designed at http://www.drumm.info/websites/.  As an instructional librarian, I spent countless hours observing patrons’ information seeking behaviors and working with them to navigate often complex library information systems. These skills and experiences will allow me to envision and develop an innovative and intuitive interface for the CVL that leverages the power of emerging technologies to meet users’ changing expectations for the Web.

You are looking for someone with an unquenchable professional and intellectual curiosity.

Many of the projects I’ve undertaken throughout my career can best be described as “biting off more than I could (at the time) chew;” I have more than once designed projects that required me to come up to speed on new technologies in a heartbeat. The Houston Community College’s Library website is one such example. The previous site was a table-based old school HTML construction. I knew that using tables for layout was out, and that CSS was in. I did not, however, know CSS. Nor did I know PHP – but I knew enough to know that both technologies could be combined to build a site that was standards compliant and easier to update, and therefore more responsive to our community’s needs.  I made a proposal to the library faculty based on these arguments, and soon found myself immersed in CSS for Dummies and feverishly working to understand PHP. I have yet to meet a technology that I could not develop a solid understanding of.

It is this last ability that makes me most confident that I can work with the larger Colorado library community to make the emerging vision of the CVL as a content- and community-rich online resource a reality. There will of course be technologies involved to which I have had only minimal exposure as yet, but I assure you that I will commit myself entirely to their mastery in order to bring about the best possible user experience.  In fact, this challenge is a large part of what makes this position so appealing to me.  My experience with integrated library systems heretofore has largely been a front-end one: teaching the OPAC and using the circulation and cataloging modules. Digging into the internal workings of various ILSes and discovery tools is a growth opportunity that will motivate me on a daily basis.

My existing expertise in project management, interpersonal communication, and facilitation will help me to align stakeholders statewide to work toward a Next-Generation Colorado Virtual Library. My technological fearlessness and aptitude coupled with my understanding of the constant evolution of the Web will enable me to bring the project to fruition in a way that will not only meet our users’ expectations, but far exceed them.

In short, I am a people-centered technophile who loves to bring people of various experiences and interests together to make great things happen for libraries. My skills and experience, combined with my enthusiasm for learning and teaching, will allow me to excel in this position.  I feel that I would be a great asset to the Colorado State Library, and that the CSL would be a great match for me, as well.   I look forward to hearing from you soon so that we can arrange a personal meeting.

Michelle (Shelly) Drumm