September’s installment of 7 Questions With… AAAL Members Nicole Palanuk, Manager, Library Instruction & Service at Yellowhead Tribal College.

1. What is something interesting you learned in the last month? I recently returned from the International Indigenous Librarians Forum held at the University of Manitoba. One of the things I learned from the Elders was about language. They spoke about the tie between language and identity — when you lose your language you lose who you are. Using another community’s language changes the way your ideas and thoughts are expressed because there are concepts that cannot be translated. So knowing your own language is really important to maintaining your identity.

2. What is your favourite colour? Red. I love to wear red outfits and red accessories.

3. What is your best piece of career advice?
Don’t be afraid to move! I’m originally from Ontario but I moved to Alberta for work. Sometimes your dream job may not be in the city you live in right now.

4. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? I would love to learn how to do graphic design.

5. What is your favourite thing to binge watch? Dr Who or Once Upon A Time

6. What is your proudest non-work related accomplishment? When I was in my early 20s I climbed Mt. Fuji. It was really difficult but the experience of viewing the sunset from the top of the mountain was worth it.

7. What is your favourite quote? The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

August’s installment of 7 Questions With… AAAL Members features Luke Malone, Collection Development Librarian, the Reg Erhardt Library at SAIT.

1. What is something interesting you learned in the last month? As part of our library PD day this week, we learned about geocaching! This involved a scavenger hunt all over the campus. I had no idea there were little geocaches scattered all around these places I go every day. It was cool learning to use the GPS and finding these little treasures.

2. When was the last time you were nervous? I recently tried an escape room for the first time. Escape rooms are themed rooms that you and a team are locked into. To get out, you solve a series of puzzles. We tried a pirate-themed room, and it was a lot of fun, but also somehow nerve-wracking when I didn’t know what to expect!

3. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?  Speak French. And then maybe Spanish. Of course, I COULD actually do this, it’s just finding the time.

4. What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life? I’m a music freak, so there are many. My all-time favourite song is ‘Malibu’, by Hole. It just sounds like summer to me. My favourite album is D’Angelo’s Voodoo.

5. If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be like and what would it be for? It would be a Great Gatsby-style party, with all the lavishness that comes with it. Of course, I’d also need the house. It would be for friends and their friends, and a celebration of nothing in particular.

6. What is your favourite thing to binge watch? I wanted to say Orange Is the New Black, but season three is a bit of a slog. So Nashville!

7. What do you do when you’re not working? Play as much tennis as I can. There’s also a great name that tune night in Calgary, so you can find me at the Cat ‘n’ Fiddle pub most Thursday evenings.

July’s installment of 7 Questions With… AAAL Members features Dana Ouellette, Information Services Librarian, Concordia University of Edmonton.

1. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Mountaineering/climbing. It’s just something I’ve wanted to try for a long time, and I’ve never gotten around to it. It seems like the next logical step if you love mountains and hiking. That or whitewater kayaking looks fun.

2. What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life? Asking me this question is like asking Rob Gordon (High Fidelity is both one of my favourite movies and books ever). It depends on the day, my mood, the season, the weather.

• Pixies – Caribou
• Björk – Jóga
• Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – God Bless Our Dead Marines
• Sigur Rós – Popplagið
• Propagandhi – And We Thought Nation States Were a Bad Idea
• Bad Religion – Modern Man
• Agalloch – Into the Painted Grey
• mewithoutYou – Fox’s Dream of the Log Flume
• Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
• Paul Simon – Call me Al (because why am I soft in the middle when the rest of my life is so hard?)

Pretty much every single song Damien Jurado, David Bazan, and The Appleseed Cast have ever written.

3. If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? Ed Chigliak (from Northern Exposure) – Nothing ever fazes him and he’s always ridiculously happy. I want that.

4. If you had to work on only one project for the next year, what would it be? I would love to build a responsive website that provides a more consistent user-experience for Concordia students and better integrates the experience of the website, discovery service, a-z database list, authentication system etc… (Just a dream right now).

5. What is your best piece of career advice? I feel like I haven’t been a librarian long enough to give advice, but one lesson I picked up pretty early on is that our users are usually right, so listen to what they say, and vendor sales reps are usually lying, so be skeptical of what they say.

6. What is your favourite thing to binge watch? Any science, astronomy, natural history, or travel documentary; I can lose a whole evening. I also have a mild obsession with Richard Feynman and I will watch anything by or about him.

7. What do you do when you’re not working? I really love mountain biking. I also love hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and traveling. I basically love having adventures, and I love mountains. But sometimes I also love to be lazy and just watch movies with my wife.

June’s installment of 7 Questions With… AAAL Members features Ann Gish, Chairperson, Grande Prairie Regional College Library

1. What is something interesting you learned in the last month? I’ve learned a lot about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which is a genetic condition that my younger sister has. It is a connective tissue disorder caused by defects in the synthesis of collagen. In fact, as I write this I am in Washington, DC where we had an appointment with a neurosurgeon who will be operating on her to ease some of her pain and provide her with some stability and mobility.

2. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Speak French, Spanish and Dutch.

3. What would you name the autobiography of your life? Oil and water

4. What is your best piece of life advice? Trust your intuition and think for yourself.

5. What is your favourite thing to binge watch? House of Cards, Homeland, Walking Dead

6. What is your proudest non-work related accomplishment? I am most proud of what I have learned from others, in particular my husband and my sister. My husband works in forestry (not the dark side of the industry) and has taught me to love and appreciate the beauty of nature. I love “the bush” as he calls it and have spent weekends in the mud and rain working with him. My sister has taught me how to remain cheerful, loving and optimistic in spite of being in tremendous pain. She is a testament to resilience, hope and perseverance.

7. What is your favourite quote? What is learned with pleasure is never forgotten – Alfred Mercier