OLIS Staff Elected National Mentor

During the recent State Data Coordinators Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, hosted by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), 56 state data coordinators (SDCs) from across the United States and territories held an election for SDC Mentors. Kelly Metzger was elected as one of 5 SDC Mentors for a three-year term. She was first elected in December 2021 to complete the term of a retiring SDC Mentor, beginning in May 2022. Kelly enjoyed serving her community in this role, and opted to run again.

Mentors aid the wider SDC community by hosting bimonthly meetings to discuss issues related to data collection for the Public Libraries Survey, serving as point person for a small group of assigned SDCs, organizing and running an orientation program for new SDCs at the Annual Meeting, and assisting IMLS in development of content for and facilitating sessions during the Annual Meeting. In addition to their roles within the SDC community, Mentors also serve on the Library Statistics Working Group.

The Library Statistics Working Group (LSWG) is a high-level working group that aims to advance public and professional understanding about the work of libraries throughout the United States. The group works with IMLS to help ensure that the collection of public library and state library data is relevant, credible, and useful to libraries and researchers. LSWG is made up of 5 SDCs, 5 Chief Officers of state library agencies, and up to 5 researchers who regularly work with library data.