Hi! My name is Kelly Karst (she/her) and I am a Librarian at CUNY Brooklyn College as well as a M.A. Digital Humanities student at the CUNY Graduate Center. Within my work as a Librarian I have a great deal of experience in instruction, reference, collection development, outreach (within the college community), web design and maintenance, committee work, and more! My personal research interests include Latin American Studies (particularly in Panama) and Art History. BUT, as is often the case with Librarians, I am curious about, and know a little about a lot of things!

Project management:

I have led, and been part of many group project efforts both professionally, and as a student. I have worked laterally with colleagues on projects and have some experience with project management software like Trello. I am good at prioritizing tasks, and following up on pending tasks with other project members. I have supervised students on short term projects related to Library work. I try to be clear in communicating ideas and plans to other group members and am also very receptive to feedback and making sure all group members are included and heard.

Developer:

WEAK! (lol). I have little to no experience building things from scratch. I tend to seek out templates that can be tweaked.

Design/UX:

I have designed school and library websites and have presented at professional conferences on recommendations for Library-related design which can apply to other areas as well (simplicity, inviting, inclusive, consistent, etc.). I am pretty well versed in Canva, but not all with other, more professional graphic design software.

My current title is the User Experience & Emerging Technology Librarian, and as such, I have knowledge of the literature and norms about UX, particularly in relation to web design and in-person structural design (relevant signage, pathways, clear directions, etc.). I do NOT have experience with “behind the scenes” coding UX.

Outreach/social media:

In my previous role at a college in San Francisco, I was the Instruction and Outreach Librarian. Outreach in the academic Library world tends to refer to outreach within the college community. So this means liaising with faculty, getting to know department needs (and how to help them), “marketing” the Library, and cultivating relationships with students and faculty.

I currently manage the Brooklyn College Library’s Instagram page. I would say my social media skills are keeping things practical, informative, and light, rather than “producing content” in the hopes of going viral or being very creative or clever (that’s like a whole full time job!). I do think it’s important to create a consistent look/vibe to an account and think of categorical themes of the types of posts you regularly create.

Documentation:

I have a lot of experience documenting how to do things for staff manuals and guides. I also have knowledge of organizational and metadata standards from a Library perspective, with some knowledge of the Archives side of this due to regular collaboration. I have also taught many workshops on things like citation managers and tips for organizing one’s research.

Research & writing:

I have been regularly providing academic research consultations and workshops for undergraduate and graduate students, and occasionally faculty, for the past 6 years in my capacity as a Librarian. I’m aware of many research options, strategies, and how to problem solve to break through research slumps.

I wouldn’t consider myself a writer by any means, but do believe I am proficient at getting across my ideas in a clear and (hopefully) concise manner. I lean towards professional/academic writing and am not a creative writer.

Presenting:

I have presented at several professional conferences on a variety of topics. I feel comfortable doing so, and have received positive feedback.