Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Welcome to the Official BEA 2011 Librarian Blogger!


Before we introduce the Official BEA 2011Librarian Blogger, we want to thank the Official BEA 2010 Librarian Blogger, Theresa Webster. We appreciate all of Theresa’s work in helping BEA launch our Librarian Blog for the 2010 event.

Without further ado, we would like to welcome the Official BEA 2011 Librarian Blogger: Jill Dugas Hughes, executive director, Connecticut Library Consortium—a multi-type consortium helping to stretch the dollars for 850 member libraries in CT.

Jill brings a dynamic combination of library leadership and development expertise with the ultimate goal to encourage libraries and librarians alike to take risks and make the commitment to stay cutting edge.

“I believe in the value of collaboration and partnership. Libraries are forces for economic development, and are the ultimate equalizers. Information is knowledge, and knowledge is power,” Jill Dugas Hughes said.

Jill began her library career in NYS, where she earned an MLS from SUNY Buffalo and directed the Red Jacket Community Library, a combination public and K-12 school library. She also coordinated annual giving and community outreach programs for libraries. Jill has worked as a school librarian in Bridgeport, CT before spearheading what became Connecticut's first-ever library referendum campaign, resulting in a guaranteed 1 mill of the city budget allocated to the Bridgeport Public Library. Jill also has expertise in grant writing and oversight, marketing, web development, and project management, as well as experience in non-profits, academia, and library service to children.

Please give Jill a warm welcome to the BEA blogosphere. We look forward to her thoughts, insights, and to her creating some dynamic conversations with all our Librarian followers about the industry and BEA!