Ask a Collections Development Librarian

Our Ask the Experts series allows attendees to steer the discussion, asking whatever questions they’d like of our panel of experts. The discussion groups are a great opportunity to learn about an emerging trend in scholarly communication and explore how it can benefit your work.

Amy Pawlowski has nearly 20 years of experience in special, public, and academic libraries and library-related private industry, with expertise in library technology and the e-books/e-journals publishing ecosystem. Working with the library deans and directors on OhioLINK’s Library Advisory Council and reporting to the Ohio Department of Higher Education, she is responsible for the organization's vision and directing strategic projects, and continues to lead contract negotiations for consortial scholarly electronic resources. Pawlowski previously served seven years as the Deputy Director at OhioLINK. Prior to joining OhioLINK, Amy managed web projects and e-resources for Cleveland Public Library and the CLEVNET consortium. She was the first Partner Services Manager at Rakuten Overdrive, Inc., a digital distributor of library e-resources, and served as archivist for the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra. Pawlowski holds a Master's in Library and Information Science from Kent State University, and a master’s degree in music performance from the University of Hartford.

Jessica has served in various collection strategy and acquisition roles throughout her career. As the current Director of Collection Strategy and Acquisitions at the University of Notre Dame, she provides leadership for collection strategy, scholarly resource assessment, electronic resource management, and acquisition services. Jessica has presented and published on user experience, electronic resource management, and collection assessment. She is also interested in leadership models and change management. She holds a BA in Art History and an MLIS in Library and Information Science.

Sean Kennedy is an Assistant Professor of Practice and the Collections and Content Strategies Librarian at the University of Akron. Sean has worked in various academic library positions which helps him bring a wide variety of perspectives to collections. In addition to his budget and collections responsibilities, Sean is the co-lead of the UA Affordable Learning Initiative and he manages the library’s MakerStudio. His efforts across all these responsibilities focus on maximizing resources and working to enhance learning and teaching through furthering the integration of library resources and services into the curriculum. Sean’s research interests include topics in library management along with the application of industrial and organizational psychology concepts to librarianship. He holds a BS in Psychology from John Carroll University and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Kent State University.