Congratulations to Obermann Communications Assistant Eleanor Ball, who has secured two extraordinary library positions for the coming year! In May, Eleanor will graduate from the UI with a Master of Library & Information Science degree and will begin remote work as a Junior Fellow with the Library of Congress Center for Learning, Literacy, and Engagement. She’ll be part of the Center’s Literary Initiatives team, which develops literary programming (e.g., the National Book Festival) and administers literary ambassadorships, including the U.S. Poet Laureate, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction.  As Junior Fellow, Eleanor will help to increase the visibility and accessibility of these programs, promote awareness of the Library’s resources and services, and share with the public a diverse range of established and new literary voices—all while receiving training in arts administration. "It's an honor to work for the Library of Congress," Eleanor says. "I'm thrilled to combine my passions for librarianship and creative writing in this position."

Then, in August, she’ll begin a three-year term with the University of Northern Iowa as Assistant Professor of Instruction & Information Literacy and Liaison Librarian, where she’ll liaise with the library and academic departments across campus, as well as teach information literacy classes. “Liaison librarians are the primary point of contact between an academic department and the library,” she explains. “My job will be to make sure that my assigned departments' research, collections, and instructional needs are being met by the library and to engage faculty and students with library services.”

Eleanor has been a standout member of the Obermann staff for the past year, during which time she organized and catalogued our library collection, interviewed several Obermann scholars, wrote articles for our website, maintained our social media accounts, and assisted with countless mailings, newsletters, and guides. We know she’ll bring her trademark attention to detail and intellectual curiosity to these new endeavors, and we wish her tremendous success!