Depository Library Council

Term: June 1, 2015 - May 31, 2018

Karen Russ is a Research and Community Engagement Librarian/Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Ottenheimer Library. Russ is known throughout the state and region for her leadership in marketing FDLP services, and for her scholarship and presentations on government information. Russ has also worked closely with GPO as an advisor for Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government. Her receipt of multiple awards from the Arkansas Library Association reflects her standing in the government information community. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Ottenheimer Library was also one of the two Federal Depository Libraries of the Year in 2014.

Term: June 1, 2016 - May 31, 2019

Thomas Fischlschweiger currently serves as a Senior Librarian and the Depository Coordinator at the Broward County Public Library in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has worked at the library for 23 years, with an emphasis on U.S. Government information. He brings to the Council extensive experience with public libraries and has participated first-hand in the evolution from print to digital information. Fischlschweiger earned his Bachelor and Master of Arts in History from The University of Florida and his Master of Library and Information Science from Florida State University.

Term: June 1, 2016 - May 31, 2019

Lori Thornton serves as the Depository Coordinator and the Public Services Bureau Chief for the New Mexico State Library’s Department of Cultural Affairs. Thornton brings more than three decades of experience in Government documents to the Council. She is active in the American Library Association’s Government Documents Round Table and Map & Geospatial Information Round Table. Thornton earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Western Washington University and her Master of Librarianship from the University of Washington.

Term: June 1, 2016 - May 31, 2019

Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Williams serves as the Library Director of the Robert Crown Law Library at Stanford Law School in Stanford, CA. She is an expert in digitization and preservation issues and is the current Chair of the Legal Information Preservation Alliance (LIPA) and a member of the American Association of Law Libraries. Williams earned her Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from the University of West Florida, Master of Arts in Philosophy from Marquette University, Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law, and Master of Library and Information Science with Certificate in Law Librarianship from the University of Washington Information School.

Term: June 1, 2016 - May 31, 2019

Cass Hartnett has worked with U.S. Government information for 27 years. She is the U.S. Documents Librarian at the University of Washington Libraries and worked at the University of Michigan and Detroit Public libraries previously. She is an expert in Federal depository library collections and operations. Hartnett has taught Library and Information Science (LIS) programs for more than two decades and co-authored a textbook, Fundamentals of Government Information, now widely adopted by LIS programs for Government information courses. She currently serves on the Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association. Hartnett earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Smith College and her Master of Information and Library Studies from the University of Michigan.

Term: June 1, 2016 - May 31, 2019

Kirstin Krumsee works at the State Library of Ohio as a Reference Librarian and as the Regional Depository Coordinator for Ohio. She works extensively with Federal depository libraries in Ohio, leading FDLP initiatives and providing training and instruction on a variety of topics. She is a member of the Special Libraries Association, the Ohio Public Library Information Network Content Advisory Committee, and the Ohio Government Documents Round Table, currently serving as chair of the State Plan Revision committee and a member of the Marketing Task Force. Krumsee earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and her Master’s degree of Library and Information Science from Kent State University.

Term: June 1, 2015 - May 31, 2018

Melissa Bernstein is Library Director and Professor of Law at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law, a selective depository library. She serves on the board of the Legal Information Preservation Alliance (LIPA), is a member of the Mountain West Digital Library Advisory Committee, and is committed to the preservation and dissemination of legal information. She has expertise on issues involving digitization, print preservation, and access to legal information.

Term: June 1, 2017 – May 31, 2020

Mary Sine Clark is the Director of Acquisitions and Access Management at the Library of Virginia where she oversees cataloging, acquisitions and government publications. During her nearly thirty year career at the LVA she has led an effort to catalog well over 250,000 pre-1976 federal documents. She drove the development and implementation of a digital repository for Virginia state government publications that provides permanent access to Virginia government information. Ms. Clark serves on the steering committee of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries Collaborative Federal Depository Program and chaired the committee from 2011-2014. The Library of Virginia serves as a Center of Excellence for the Commerce Department’s Office of the Board of Publication. She is an active member of the Virginia Library Association. Ms. Clark holds a BA in Political Science from Roanoke College and a Master of Science in Library Science from UNC – Chapel Hill.

Term: June 1, 2017 – May 31, 2020

Celina McDonald works at the University of Maryland as the subject liaison for Law and Criminology, and she also serves as the regional depository coordinator for Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. Celina earned her B.A. from Lehigh University in Russian Studies and English in 2000 and M.S in the Science of Information from the University of Michigan's School of Information in 2004. To realize her long-term professional goal of being an engaged member of the community, she has belonged to a number of committees including Regional Government Information Librarians, Government Documents Round Table Nominating Committee, and is currently the chair of the American Library Association’s Committee on Legislation, Subcommittee on Government Information.

Term: June 1, 2017 – May 31, 2020

Erik Beck is the Digital Services Librarian for the William A. Wise Law Library at the University of Colorado Law School and is also the Depository Coordinator for the law library’s selective depository. He specializes in developing digital repositories for Government information and in the digitization of Government documents. He has also served as Chair of the American Association of Law Libraries’ (AALL) Digital Access to Legal Information Committee and is active in AALL’s Government Documents Special Interest Group. Mr. Beck earned his Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Classics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Master’s degree in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Term: June 1, 2015 - May 31, 2018

James Shaw is the Government Documents Librarian and Professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Professor Shaw has extensive experience with government information reference, instruction, and collection development, having worked in the field for more than 20 years. He is also an accomplished author and academic, having published and presented widely. Professor Shaw has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Nebraska Library Association’s College and University Section.

Term: June 1, 2017 - May 31, 2018

Robbie Sittel is the Government Information Librarian at the University of North Texas. She oversees the Eagle Commons Library, a campus branch library that houses a number of specialized services including UNT’s Government Information Connection, the Funding Information Network, and GIS services. The Government Information Connection was recognized as a Depository Library of the Year in 2015. Ms. Sittel is dedicated to preservation and access of Government information, specifically digital-born information. She is involved in a number of initiatives aimed at raising awareness on this issue. Prior to becoming an academic librarian, Ms. Sittel spent 9 years as Documents Coordinator for the Tulsa City-County Library where she was engaged state-wide in promoting and teaching the value and use of Government information. She is an active member of ALA and has held leadership roles in TLA GODORT. Ms. Sittel promotes civic engagement on the UNT campus and throughout the Denton, Texas community, serving on the board of the League of Women Voters, and through her membership in the Benjamin Lyon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Term: January 18, 2017 – May 31, 2018

Yvonne D. Williams is a 30 year veteran working with the FDLP at the Memphis Public Library and Information Center. As Cataloging Specialist in the Government Publications Department, she is the lead staff person assigned to maintain the daily operations of the department, which includes technical processing, maintaining the historical Federal documents collection, and overseeing FDLP promotional initiatives. Her passion for promoting the FDLP at the Memphis Public Library and in the community led her to consult with library management and develop strategies to enhance staff and public awareness of this invaluable resource, which are now being implemented. In addition to her passion for the FDLP, she has a zeal for criminal justice, which is evident by her 30 year service as a volunteer for the Tennessee Department of Corrections, where she serves as Volunteer Chaplain’s Assistant. She is a Certified Christian Chaplain, International Federation of Christian Chaplains, Inc. (IFCC), and has earned a Master of Religious Arts Degree in Christian Counseling from Jacksonville Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management and Organizational Development from Bethel University.