Zachary Broughton
Librarian
MLIS Graduate
About Me
Thinker, Creative Doer, Infomancer
I am Library Assistant at an academic library.
Hello! My name is Zach, and I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Master’s in Library and Information Science.
The experience of earning my degree, working in an academic library, and interning in a cultural heritage archive has taught me a lot about how we interact, use, and preserve the knowledge around us.
Whether it is embodied in a simple news article, a book on the shelf, a painting, or a priceless family photo; how we evaluate and manage the overwhelming hoards of physical and digital information we encounter is even more important than ever.
- Current Title Library Technical Assistant
- Based in The Charlotte metropolitan area
- Fun Quote "As long as you're learning, you're not failing." - Bob Ross
Services
Collection Development and Organization
There is a difference between having a curated collection and just a plain ol’ hoard of various materials. A proper collection is carefully built, pruned, and maintained to be efficient and relevant to the community it serves.
Information Preservation and Management
The onset of cloud based platforms has, at times, created a perception that information is forever. While it has made saving and sharing data much easier, your information is still at risk without understanding and applying the best practices for preserving both physical and digital information.
Research and Reference Services
One of the biggest challenges of research used to be just finding information, today the focus has shifted more to evaluating the overwhelming plentitudes of information to find the most credible data.
Information Literacy Advocacy and Instruction
For most people who are in the business of education, one of the most important things we aim for is to give others the tools they need to be successful. For me, it is not any different. I want to give all who are willing to learn the skills they need to meet their information needs, to be able to think critically, and to be able to recognize flawed or misleading information.
Fun Facts
Countries Visited
8Years in Librarianship
9Posters and Presentations Done
3Custom Computers Built
2Resume
9 Years of Experience
Education
2017
Master of Library and Information Science
University of South CarolinaProgram of Study: Information Science and Technology
2015
Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies
University of South Carolina - Lancaster- Major: History & Art
- Cognate: Psychology
Experience
Fall 2011 - Current
Library Assistant
University of South Carolina Lancaster- Train new employees and familiarize them with library procedures.
- Develop training media, such as guides and videos, to assist in the training of employees.
- Process incoming new materials to ensure longevity of library assets.
- Organize materials according to their correct classification systems to ensure findability.
- Process interlibrary loan materials to help students benefit from our system-wide collection of resources.
- Build library displays to aid in findability and to promote collection development efforts.
- Create and maintain LibGuides to help supplement physical services with digital alternatives.
- Provide drop-in reference and on-demand instruction services for students, allowing more students access to library services and resources.
- Assist patrons with computer problems or difficulties to reduce frustration during classwork.
- Create navigational aids to allow students to be familiar with the library and to promote social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Create informational media and co-manage social media accounts to assist in outreach goals and maintain an online presence.
Fall 2014
Student Intern
USCL Native American Studies Center- Digitize various materials for preservation, organization, and presentation.
- Developed and implemented a site project that facilitates a more efficient system of digitization for archival materials.
- Assist in the creation of organization systems for collections.
- Assist archeology lab in processing artifacts from the Johannes Kolb Archaeological Site.
- Serve clients with requested scans of genealogical documents.