by: Kerry Lippold Jr.
As the new director of the Parkland Library, Morgann Quilty is hoping to reach out to students and provide them with access to everything the library has to offer. Quilty, originally from Pesotum, was once a Parkland student and continued her education at the University of Illinois where she earned her master’s degree. After spending nearly 10 years living in Sydney Australia, Quilty moved back to the states to work at Parkland. She continued her career which has consisted of working in libraries for more than 20 years.
When asked what brought her to Parkland, Quilty stated, “It’s a bit of perfect timing. I always loved my time at Parkland from when I was a student and kept an eye on the Library to see if and when jobs popped up here. Finally got to a point in Sydney where we were ready to move back to be closer to family, and the director role became available at the same time. I pounced on the opportunity.” She explained her excitement to give back to Parkland and create a wonderful experience as she had once had as a student.
“I’m thrilled to have the chance to guide the Library going forward, expanding on our current offerings and bringing in new services and resources that help our students to succeed!”
Quilty also described some of her many plans as the new library director. “There are many things; I have so many plans! My current priorities are enhancing the website since the library has an opening and closing time, the online library is there 24/7. I want to make it as easy as possible for our students and staff to get to the resources they need. I also am looking forward to expanding the outreach we do—we want to make sure that our students are aware of the resources that we have on offer—not just books and journals, but also our loanable tech collection and our cool study booths, and—most importantly—our incredibly helpful librarians. Our librarians are information experts, and I want everyone to know how they can assist our students and staff—from teaching to research assistance to locating the item you didn’t know you needed—we are there to connect our students with the best resources!” Quilty said.
The Parkland Library has so many resources that students are not aware of. “We have an incredible technology collection that all students are welcome to borrow—from calculators to laptops! We have our new study booths in the main library—these seat up to 6 students and have screen casting technology built in. The entire main floor of the library is open for individual and group work, but if you want silence, we can help with that too. The upper level of the Library is the only designated silent space on campus,” Quilty stated.
Quilty is beyond excited for what is to come in her new role and wants to know how she can better serve Parkland and its students. She stated, “I love Parkland and what it stands for and what it does for our community. I think the Library plays a key part in making sure that all students and staff have equal access to resources and tools that support their education. I’m thrilled to have the chance to guide the Library going forward, expanding on our current offerings and bringing in new services and resources that help our students to succeed! I would love to know what the students want—how can the Library serve you best? If there’s service or resource that you’d like to see, or that you’ve experienced that you think we should try, tell us! We have a suggestion board in the Library, and all of the staff love to chat about what the Library does, and what it can do, and what we want to do! And of course, I want students to know they’re always welcome in the Library—we love seeing you, we love helping with research, and we love just having a chat. Come in and say hi!”
