Meet a Member

Lisa Broughman

VLA Secretary

What is your current position? Library Director

Where do you work? Randolph College

When did you first know that you wanted to work in the library field? I was a work/study employee at my undergraduate institution and by the time I finished my four years there, I was reasonably confident that I wanted to pursue working in libraries as a career.  

What is your favorite part of librarianship? I have worked in technical services and systems administration for most of my career, focusing my efforts on collaborating with faculty to support student research, identifying and managing the right systems for delivering that content, and supporting the staff at several local libraries.  I absolutely love providing the tools and the training for my colleagues to do their jobs well, while also ensuring our community members have equitable access to a robust collection of resources. 

What was your first library or library related job? My mother was a second-grade teacher at my elementary school, so I spent most of my time before and after classes hanging out in the library while my mom graded papers and prepped for the next day's lesson.  Our school librarian, Mrs. Williams, paid me $.25 per afternoon to re-shelve library books.  

What projects or programs are you currently working on at your library? Several years ago, our library established a career-oriented internship for Randolph College undergraduates interested in librarianship. We are currently exploring expanding that to offer a second internship focusing on work in library archives and special collections.  I also administer a scholarship to support alumni attending library school, which is a lovely tie-in.

What issue or topic in librarianship are you most interested in? I am very concerned about maintaining fair and equitable access to digital content, particularly as book publishers and media streaming services introduce new methods of restricting access to single-user licenses or subscriptions.  

Why are you a member of VLA and what is the most important reason to you for being a member of VLA? I understood the value of the Virginia Library Association when I was a staff library employee before attending graduate school. I sincerely appreciated how VLA provided continuing education opportunities for employees at all levels, and thanks to the Affiliate Membership program, everyone at my library can be a member of the Association and participate in its programming.  It's important to me to support VLA because VLA works exceptionally hard to support its members.

Please contact Lisa Broghman at [email protected]