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Academic Librarian Interview

Sara K. Motsinger
Emporia State University
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Lori Fitterling is the Digital Services/Reference Librarian at Kansas City University of

Medicine and Biosciences, which is located just blocks away from my home, in the

neighborhood of Pendleton Heights. Pendleton Heights is one of the oldest residential

neighborhoods in Kansas City and has been my home since 2003. Having an osteopathic school

in our diverse corner of the city has added to the unique character of my chosen home, and I have

always been curious to learn more about the school, their library, and their library staff. I used

this interview assignment as an opportunity to peek behind the veil a bit and learn more about

academic librarianship at a school right in my part of this vibrant city. We were able to connect

via phone when Ms. Fitterling had a free hour so that I could ask her questions about her

experiences with academic librarianship.

KCUMB opened in 1916, and moved its campus to Pendleton Heights in 1921. It

currently has two campuses one in Joplin, Missouri, and one in Kansas City. During the 2015-

2016 academic year, they had just over 1,100 students enrolled on the Kansas City campus. They

offer graduate degrees in osteopathic medicine, biomedical sciences, clinical psychology,

business, and bioethics. The DAngelo Library, on the Kansas City campus, features a small

number of study rooms, a conference room, computers for student use, a Special Collections

room featuring medical and osteopathic literature from Ancient Egypt to modern day as well as

an anatomical model collection.

Ms. Fitterling earned her MLS from Emporia State in 2009, and has been employed at

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB) since 2002. She worked as a

library assistant at the James C. Kirkpatrick Library while an undergraduate at Central Missouri

State University, and had aspirations of working at a newspaper. She chose to stay at home with

her children for ten years while working part-time, and after choosing to re-enter the workforce,
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found a position at her local library. As she says, When I decided to get back into the

workforce, I didnt get the job at the local newspaper, but did at the local library. After moving

to Kansas City with her family, Ms. Fitterling found a position at KCUMB and worked on

obtaining her masters degree. Working at an academic library was a significant change from her

previous library assistant work, but currently she enjoys empowering students to understand

why searching medical literature is important. She typically teaches courses to students on

clinical tools for their mobile devices, medical applications for iPhones, Medical Informatics and

Information Literacy, and database refresher classes for students beginning their clinical

clerkships. She continues her education by signing up for pertinent webinars, attending library

conferences, and obtaining additional professional certification, such as the Medical Education

Research Certificate she obtained in 2013.

A typical workday for Ms. Fitterling includes responding to emails, meeting with

students and faculty, attending committee meetings and webinars, and preparing for classroom

instruction. She finds the variety of reference requests that she fields to be the most surprising

part of her job, running the very wide gamut between basic science and current therapeutic

options, all with medical education at the core. She currently serves on the University Scholarly

Activity and Faculty Development Committee, Curriculum Committee, and the Strategic

Leadership Team Committee. Professionally, she currently is a member of three organizations:

the Mid-Continental Chapter of the Medical Library Association, the Medical Library

Association, and the Health Sciences Library Network of Kansas City.

She finds that her preparation for entering her field was more than adequate for her

current profession, noting that most librarians are not totally prepared for any position but do

their best learning on the fly. Customer service and organizational skills are important to her
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daily success, but she also stressed the importance of a knowledge in academic theory. Ms.

Fitterling also stressed how important it is to feel comfortable in front of a classroom, whether

she is teaching two hundred and sixty students or one hundred physicians. Adaptability is also

essential for success as well as the ability to embrace technological change. She is excited

about where the profession is headed and eager to continue working with the KCUMB students

as the campus continues to grow and innovate.

Questions asked:

What brought you to academic librarianship?

What is the most surprising thing about your job?

What does a typical day look like for you?

What do you find to be the most satisfying part of your work?

What do you see as the largest future challenge for academic librarianship?

If you were entering this career today, would you change your preparation in any

way to facilitate entry?

What skills or personal characteristics do you feel contribute most to success in

this industry?