Joe Mocnik
ALA Divisions:
Curious, strategic, committed.
I am keeping up with a wide range of readings from current events to information literacy and the higher education changes. Just finished reading Walter Isaacson's "Elon Musk" and David McCullough's "The Pioneers". I enjoy listening to Jeff Tweedy, The Killers, The Revivalists, Jenny Lewis, and the Wallflowers, just to name a few. Whenever I can, I am trying to keep up with my languages and am using Duolingo daily to practice conversational German.
Resourceful, networking, robust.
ACRL has been my professional home for twenty five years and has provided me with a wealth of networking, services and growth opportunities. The webinars, workshops, and conferences have been informative and helped me with professional development.
Through partnering in the research enterprise, I am helping students develop information fluency and actively promote a climate of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. As a member of the senior campus leadership, I seek creative ways to enhance funding, strengthen staffing, keep our spaces inviting. I am closely partnering with the Student Governing Association and various on-campus entities to promote our services and seek ongoing input and recommendations. My community outreach includes our Friends group, the Student Ambassadors, alumni, donors, but also the local Chamber and state-wide entities to seek innovative ways to ensure sustainable support for our Libraries services and resources.
Modern academic libraries serve as a catalyst of innovation while also providing valuable legacy services to further the institutional mission. I am very grateful for the ACRL role and am excited about the future growth as we seek creative ways to embrace disruptive tools such as AI that will help us retool and innovate.
Title:Dean of Libraries
Workplace:Kansas State University
Location:Manhattan, KS