Meet A Member: Todd Elliott
What is your VLA position?
Vice President/President Elect
What do you hope to accomplish in your time as an elected member of the VLA Executive Committee?
Work with my colleagues to make this great organization greater.
Where do you work?
In my hometown at Portsmouth Public Library.
What is your current position?
Library Director
When did you first know that you wanted to be a librarian?
I was switching gears career-wise and decided to become a teacher, however while studying as a history undergrad in college I worked at the Richland County Public Library in South Carolina. Working there convinced me that I wanted to be a librarian.
What was your first library job?
A shelver here at Portsmouth Public Library through most of my high school years.
What is your favorite part of librarianship?
Working with people. I came from a tech background where I didn't engage often with customers.
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you on the job?
I was once sitting in a meeting that went a little long and since another colleague and I were bored (and since we were both sitting across from each other opposite the "business end" of the table) we started playing paper football. I balked on the field goal. It's funny because I saw a commercial about a year later — who remembers what they were selling? — and saw this scene duplicated.
If you could have anything in the universe installed in your office for your personal use, what would it be?
A transporter (beam me up).
What is something your colleagues would be surprised to know about you?
I was a big fan of mobster movies and feel pretty sure that I was given a "mercy C" by my finite mathematics professor because he and I would bounce favorite mob lines off each other during breaks. My favorite of these is "The Godfather" (what else?). Who knows — maybe I did earn that "C" but I wouldn't swear to it.
Interviewed by Gregg Grunow
Want to be featured on Meet a Member? Email Gregg at [email protected].
Don't miss the other entries in our Meet A Member — Leadership Edition.
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