Betsy Sterner found a way to pair her passion for information science with her dedication for instruction and education when she took the role as NIU’s new Health Sciences librarian in August. For the proud alum, who holds the rank of assistant professor, working in the Research and Instruction Department of the University Libraries, it’s a winning combination.
Betsy Sterner
“I love being a librarian and am thrilled with the opportunity to come back to the university near to my heart,” said Sterner, who earned her master’s in biological sciences from NIU in 2008. “I most look forward to working with faculty and students in the College of Health and Human Sciences (CHHS).”
Sterner is well versed in instruction, having been a high school teacher in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and Warsaw, Poland for 16 years.
“I taught various courses including biology, chemistry and German,” Sterner said. “My duties in this environment required constant community interaction, development of instructional tools, maintenance of detailed data, and the ability to multi-task as well as prioritize tasks.”
Sterner earned her bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and after teaching, she went on to earn her master’s in Library and Information Science (MILS) from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For the past seven years, she has worked as a STEM/Health Science librarian at several universities.
“I provided specialized library instruction and reference services to my assigned Health Science and STEM liaison areas using core health science and nursing resources,” Sterner said. “I also provided general research and reference services, developed the collection for my subject areas, and created library orientation presentations and tutorials.”
Sterner said her research agenda has been evolving since arriving at NIU.
“I have been working towards a Systematic Review Services Specialization from the Medical Library Association to support my work with systematic reviews with CHHS faculty,” Sterner said. “My most current research project is to survey systematic review research guides for trends and best practices in preparation for creating one for NIU.”
She plans to turn the project into a paper, but it is still early in the process.
“I have collected data (153 research guides) and currently have approximately 70 research guides to review,” Sterner said. “At best, I will publish a paper; at worst, I will have an awesome, well-informed research guide to support CHHS faculty and students. It has been very informative to work on this project.”
Dean Fred Barnhart, University Libraries, said Sterner’s extensive experience, strong record of scholarship and excellent communication skills made her an obvious candidate for Health Sciences librarian position.
“The College of Health and Human Sciences is a unique and important part of the university, and we wanted to make sure they continued to have strong library support,” Barnhart said. “We knew that it was important to hire someone with experience who could also engage the students and faculty with everything the library has to offer.”
As the Health Sciences librarian, Sterner helps students and faculty through instruction and consultation about resources, as well as maintain strong collections and develop programming to encourage engagement with the library.
“As emphasis on interdisciplinarity grows, I anticipate that Betsy’s skills will also be sought after by researchers in related fields,” Barnhart said. “She has a strong background in public academic libraries and was able to immediately work with our students and faculty. “
Rachel Gordon, associate dean for Research and Administration in the College of Health and Human Sciences, shared the sentiment.
“Subject specialist librarians offer vital support to the research, teaching, and service missions of colleges, and Betsy dove right in to offer that support to CHHS,” Gordon said.
Gordon said since starting in August, Sterner has engaged in the Health Sciences Ph.D. program residency weekend, built rapport with CHHS students and faculty, and developed a workshop for later this spring on conducting systematic reviews of the literature.
“Betsy’s expertise as a librarian and in the health sciences was immediately evident,” Gordon said. “CHHS is grateful to have this essential support!”
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