Why should you join ELD? Hear what our current members have to say!
“…most valuable and meaningful collegiality in my almost 37 years of professional librarianship.”
“…ELD feels like one big family.”
“…If you’re an academic engineering librarian, you should be a member of ELD.”
” …ELD is very active and there is lots of opportunity to participate”
“I have been a member of ELD since 1996. Over the past 20 years, I have experienced the most valuable and meaningful collegiality in my almost 37 years of professional librarianship. Before my experience with ASEE/ELD I had been a member of several local and national librarians groups and chapters, none of which has come even close to match my affiliation with ELD. This has been the only group that nurtured me and lifted my spirits…ASEE/ELD will forever be a part of my professional development and a wonderful experience of my professional career.”
–Najwa L. Hanel, University of Southern California
“The ELD has been instrumental in my professional growth and I honestly don’t think I would have made it very far without them. The email list is my first stop for those impossible-to-answer reference questions, and it rarely disappoints. The list is also great for those looking to gain an edge in the competitive job market, providing insight to the latest trends and challenges in engineering librarianship for that next big job interview. In addition to the email list, ELD offers a conference track at the ASEE Annual Conferences tailor-fit to your engineering librarian needs. Unlike most librarian conferences that require you to spend hours sifting through a bloated schedule of session offerings, you will be rest-assured that every ELD session will be informative and useful to your specific needs, giving you more time to enjoy the conference. The conference is expensive, but ELD’s sponsors will provide nearly every meal and make sure you have a good time, and you can apply for one of their many generous stipends to offset your travel and hotel costs. I recommend every engineering librarian join, especially those new to the profession.”
–Martin K. Wallace, University of Texas, Arlington
“My first conference was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2001. I enjoyed amazing mentoring by previous ELD members, especially in the area of housing and navigating the conference…In my practice as a Science and Engineering Collections Librarian, I find the greatest support I could ever receive from counterparts across the country and the world and they are ELD members. I feel proud to be associated with ELD everytime my faculty sing my praises. They will never know that I sit on the shoulders of giants in the field. I belong to other organizations which will be nameless here, but I give ELD an A+ in my grading. ELD officers are very dedicated and they work hard to make each conference a rich and memorable experience. To me, ELD feels like one big family. It is heart-warming to know that whatever difficulty I have in carrying out my duties as engineering librarian, I know that ELD members have my back.”
–Ibironke O. Lawal, Virginia Commonwealth University
“When I was hired as an engineering librarian, one of the first things my boss said was ‘You should join the ELD’. She had been the former engineering librarian and knew how worthwhile it would be for me to become a member as well. As a new engineering librarian and a new career librarian, I was so amazed to find that the ELD existed! Whenever I’m asked about how I gain a better understanding of my liaison role and the needs of engineering students and faculty, I always mention the ELD as one great resource that has been very beneficial. ELD is very active and there is lots of opportunity to participate through committee work or other events like the conference. When I met this group at my first conference in 2016, it didn’t take long to meet a lot of wonderful librarians with so much experience and knowledge, and everyone was so welcoming.”
–Sarah Parker, University of British Columbia
“The best single word I’ve ever come up with to describe what makes being a member of ELD so special and useful is ‘peers’. ELD is all about members supporting the needs and wants of members, the vast majority of whom are academic engineering librarians. Conference programming and other content is tailored to that audience. No other group or organization I’ve been a member of (in 30 years as a librarian) has that kind of a narrow peer group as its primary focus. The number of common interests that I share with other members of ELD are far greater than those I share with members of other library-related organizations, including ALA, SLA, and ACRL. And on top of that, it’s a very collegial and fun group! If you’re an academic engineering librarian, you should be a member of ELD.”
–Mel DeSart, University of Washington
“From the very start of my academic career, I have been in involved and continue my involvement with ELD – an awesome group of STEM-related librarians. No matter what the issue, it is easy to ask for help or support on a topic of shared interests or learning tools. Great breadth of experience among a shared community.”
–Patricia Watkins, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University