October’s installment of 7 Questions With… AAAL Members features Brad Neufeldt, Director of Library Services St. Mary’s University Library.

1. What is something interesting you learned in the last month? Donald Trump is actually a Cheeto.

2. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Ride a unicycle downhill while juggling

3.What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?

• Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)
• Bemsha Swing by Thelonious Monk perfomed by Medeski, Martin & Wood
• Nickel Bag of Funk by Digable Planets
• Pie Jesu from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem
• Weasel Pot Pie by That 1 Guy
• Shine of You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd
• Rock the Casbah by The Clash

among many others

4.If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? Marîd Audran in George Alec Effinger’s When Gravity Fails

5. What would you name the autobiography of your life? Feral Teddy Bears & Other Nightmares

6. What is your favourite quote? “If at first you don’t succeed …. well, so much for skydiving!”

7. When was the last time you were nervous? September 25, Sunday morning getting ready to ride 100 miles on a fixed gear bike (one gear & no freewheel).

July’s installment of 7 Questions With… AAAL Members features Sheena Gardner, Co-chair, Library Services, Grande Prairie Regional College

1. What is something interesting you learned in the last month? I just came back from Haida Gwaii where I spent a day at the Haida Cultural Centre learning about the history and culture of the Haida nation. It was amazing and I feel very blessed to have taken that trip.

2. If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? Minerva McGonagall

3.If you had to work on only one project for the next year, what would it be? It couldn’t be this next year but in the future I would like to work on a documentary. A year sounds like a good amount of time to do it.

4.What is your best piece of life advice? Listen to your gut.

5. What is your favourite thing to binge watch? The Vice Channel

6. What do you do when you’re not working? I go to the rec centre a lot and volunteer for different cultural events (Folk Fest, Short Film Fest, the Writing Contest run by the Public Library). And I love to travel to B.C. to catch up with friends.

7. What is your favourite quote? Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it…
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
-Goethe

June’s installment of 7 Questions With… AAAL Members features Trish Rosseel, Associate University Librarian, Public Services, University of Alberta Libraries

1. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Weave

2. What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life? So many great artists and songs! James Taylor, U2, Tragically Hip, Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman, Wailin’ Jennys, Be Good Tanyas, Martin Sexton, David Gray, Coldplay, Walk Off the Earth, Tegan and Sarah…

3. What is your best piece of career advice? About 10 years ago I was in a small shop in Deep Cove, BC which had all these great posters with excellent typography and one – which has hung in all of my offices ever since – became a personal mantra of sorts: Work hard and be nice to people.

4. What is your favourite thing to binge watch? Broadchurch, River, Homeland, Scott & Bailey, Wallander

5. What is your proudest non-work related accomplishment? A couple years ago after a whole lot of dedicated – and tiring – training, I ran a Spartan Race, a Tough Mudder and my one and only triathlon in the span of a year. Definitely never thought I could do any, never mind all, of them, but really put my head down and enjoyed the experiences. I am now officially over this phase! ; )

6. What is your favourite quote? Rainer Maria Rilke’s:
Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

7. What is your favourite colour?  Blue

May’s installment of 7 Questions With… AAAL Members features Genevieve Luthy, Library Manager, Reg Erhardt Library, SAIT.

1. What is something interesting you learned in the last month? I’ve started going to pub trivia nights with some friends and I’ve learned that I’m terrible at trivia.

2. When was the last time you were nervous?I did my first ever cross country ski loppet last month, and I was pretty nervous when I saw some former Olympians warming up in the parking lot before the race. In the end it was lots of fun, especially because I didn’t come in last, or get trampled during the mass start—my two biggest worries!

3. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Speak German.

4. What is your best piece of career advice? Be open to taking on projects or new opportunities that scare you a bit. I went to Library school thinking I wanted to be a children’s librarian, and while I did love my time doing that work, I’ve learned the most and had the most rewarding experiences when I’ve taken on roles that involve new challenges. Moving to the academic library world after years at public libraries was definitely outside my comfort zone at first, but I’ve learned so much.

5. What is your favourite thing to binge watch? I’m saving a bunch of podcasts for an upcoming flight, so I’m going to cheat here and list my favourite podcasts for binge listening: Reply All, This American Life, 99% Invisible, Serial, and Answer Me This.

6. What do you eat for breakfast? Toast with peanut butter.

7. What do you do when you’re not working? I grew up in Canmore, and I still like to get out to the mountains as often as I can to ski in the winter and hike in the summer. I also spend a lot of time riding my bike around Calgary’s many river pathways. I just joined a women’s mountain biking club too, so I’m planning to get off the paved trails a bit this summer, and conquer my fear of going fast down hills!

April’s installment of 7 Questions With… AAAL Members features Tim Janewski, Director of Library Services, The King’s University Library.

1. When was the last time you were nervous? Presenting to 45 very smart (and mostly young) people at the Edmonton Progressive Librarian’s Guild Symposium in March. I’m not sure whether my fear of not being smart enough or feeling out of place because of my age was stronger. But the young folk were all very nice to me.

2. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Learn how to remember people’s names.

3. If you had to work on only one project for the next year, what would it be? Advocating for LGBTQ+ equality in libraries – and everywhere!

4. What is your best piece of career advice? Always check to see whose name is in the “To” field of your email before clicking “Send”. Including the wrong name in the wrong message can be hazardous to your career health.

5. What is your favourite thing to binge watch? Sense8

6. What is your proudest work-related accomplishment? Working with great people to put together the awesome NEOS Strategic Agenda 2014-17. We rocked that plan!

7. What is your proudest non-work related accomplishment? Raising two amazing kids with my wife.