Meet Randy! Randy joined collectionHQ in 2014. As Customer Success Manager, he is responsible for training and supporting libraries in using collectionHQ but, more importantly, improving the overall performance of their collections using evidence. Based in Pennsylvania, Randy’s local library is the Bethlehem Area Public Library.
Hi Randy! We know that you are a huge supporter of libraries, so have to ask, what is your favorite book?
Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
You work with libraries of all sizes to help them create collections that inspire their communities. Tell us what you love most about working with libraries.
I think seeing how libraries have evolved over time to meet the changing needs of their community is what drew me to libraries. The resources that libraries make available to their patrons are practically unlimited and have changed dramatically in the many years I have worked with libraries. As technology has become an indispensable part of the library experience, I love seeing the unique and creative ways libraries are using it to better serve patrons. I’ve seen this with our own collectionHQ customers in the past, with them using the application in new ways that work for them and their patrons. Librarians are the most creative people I know.
What is your favorite tool in collectionHQ, and how does this help libraries?
My favorite tool in collectionHQ is the new barcode search. This tool combines all of an item’s EBSM (Evidence Based Stock Management) conditions and suggests recommended actions based on those conditions. This provides libraries with even more evidence to support their collection decisions.
Tell us about your happiest memory of the library.
My happiest library memory is when my hometown library got its first computers for patrons to use in the 1970s. These were the first IBM personal computers and were running on an 8088 microprocessor. My friends and I would ride our bikes the 4 miles or so to the library to get on the waiting list and teach ourselves Basic programming.
Thanks for sharing! Like so many of us, it sounds like libraries have made a big impact on your life.
Finally, for fun, what is one thing that we’d never guess about you?
I am a classically trained pianist and frequently accompanied choirs in school. At state (Ohio) contests I was awarded medals for voice and piano. I performed Rhapsody in Blue with my high school band and wrote an original piece that was performed by the high school choir. I played trombone in a band in high school, including the marching band. I wrote several marching band arrangements of popular songs that I sold to the school. After high school, I attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston for one year with the intention of majoring in electronic music. While I did not further pursue a career in music, I have self-produced 3 original albums for family and friends in a small home recording studio.
Wow, those are some impressive musical achievements! Thank you, Randy, for stopping by to speak with us today!