This is the latest blog entry in a series introducing LVA employees and exploring what they do day-to-day. If you are interested in what goes on behind the scenes, entries in this series are collected under the tag 7 Questions. Other entries discussing the internal work of the Library of Virginia are filed under our new category “The Stacks”.
Cindy Church
What is your background?
I knew I wanted to be a librarian since middle school and told my high school classmates I wanted to be the Librarian of Congress! I have worked in the library and information profession for 33 years including academic, corporate, and government libraries. I earned a Master’s Degree in Library Science from North Carolina Central University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Radford University.
How do you explain what you do to others?
The Library of Virginia sponsors a variety of training opportunities each year to help those responsible for library service in order to develop their skills and learn new approaches. I facilitate this by providing and promoting training to library staff in Virginia. This training helps those responsible for library service to develop their skills and learn new approaches.
Have you held other positions at the Library? If so, what?
I am the State E-Rate Coordinator. In this role, I facilitate the ability of public libraries to receive funds from the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) E-rate program, thereby making telecommunications and information services more affordable for libraries.
How has technology affected your current job?
When I started this position 14 years ago, training was done face-to-face. Technology has morphed this into online training: one-hour live webinars, online classes, and self-paced (at your leisure) training.
Describe your best day at the Library of Virginia.
We are always evaluating our training programs. Someone shared with me that the training was transformative to how they did their library work and their personal life. I love making those connections!
What was your first paid job?
Cashier at King’s Grocery Store in Crewe, Virginia.
What would people be surprised to find out about you?
In the 1990s, I was Director of Technical Services at the NASA Langley Technical Library in Hampton, Virginia. We were contiguous with Langley Air Force Base, where the Flying Thunderbirds were based. Each year we were privileged to watch them do their show for the final approval by the base commanders. We could watch it in a field outside the library’s front doors!
