Jen Rempel Interview

Jen is our Acting Associate Librarian of Learning and Resource Services, when this interview was done she was the Information Literacy and Resource Access Librarian at AU Library. 

What is the most important part of your job?

Instruction. I help create tutorials, and I write and deliver workshops and webinars on how to use information sources effectively. I am passionate about information literacy, and I love teaching our patrons how to think critically about what they are reading, hearing, and watching.

What is the most interesting thing you have worked on?

Joanna Nemeth, our Digital Literacy Librarian, and I recently delivered an interactive online workshop on evaluating internet sources. I found this super interesting because it allowed us the chance to teach patrons about critical thinking and the internet, and to find ways to make a workshop interactive that was delivered entirely online!

What is the best book you’ve read lately?

This is a tough one! It’s a bit of a cliché that Librarians love to read, but for me, it’s definitely true! Because it’s hard for me to choose, I’ll name the top five books I’ve read recently (in alphabetical order): 

1) Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado

2) Homesick for Another World, by Ottessa Moshfegh

3) Jagannath, by Karin Tidbeck

4) The New Me, by Halle Butler

5) Ninth Street Women, by Mary Gabriel

Where have you travelled?

I love to travel! It’s my favorite thing to do, and I have made it my priority in life aside from my work. I have been to 27 different countries so far including China, Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Cuba, the UK, Iceland, and various other countries throughout Europe.

Who is your hero? 

Again, it’s hard to pick just one! I would have to say my two biggest heroes right now are Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg. Both are very talented and brave young women who are working hard to fight for important causes. Malala Yousafzai risked her life for the right of women to participate in education, and Greta Thunberg is leading the charge in tackling global climate change. I would love to have dinner with them and hear about what their lives are like, and how they came to be such amazing role models.

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