Meet Jon Keppel

How long have you been an OLC member?

I have been an OLC Individual member for three years now. I joined OLC as a student through joint membership program with the American Library Association (ALA).

Why did you become involved with OLC?

I was interested in expanding my horizons in the library field. There was a natural inclination to want to be connected locally, regionally, statewide, nationally and internationally. Joining OLC connected me with colleagues across the state. It also became a gateway to an even broader network of library workers. I like being a part of something larger than my local perspective.

What was your first OLC experience?

I am happy to share that I am now a member of the OLC Membership Committee. It is an amazing experience. I'm getting to meet new people from around the state and exchange ideas. I am truly honored to serve in this capacity and grateful for the opportunity.

This is my first time formally engaging with OLC. Informally, I made it a daily ritual to check in with the newsfeed on the OLC website. I find it very helpful to intentionally tune into local, regional, state, national and international perspectives by going to a library-related website for each of those and tapping into the newsfeed there or just looking to see what else might be new on the site.

Staying up-to-date on developments like this helps me add more value at my library by sharing current events and news with my co-workers. It also helps me grow professionally in the library community by raising my awareness of what is happening beyond my front doorstep. I see first-hand how the work that I am doing may relate to what my colleagues are doing in different parts of the state.

How has OLC membership contributed to your professional development and career success? 

As I mentioned, I joined OLC as a dual student member with ALA. It was a way of demonstrating my commitment to the field to myself as I was in the process of getting my MLIS degree. The good power of that cannot be understated. It significantly helped to fortify my resolve at a deep and sustainably psychological level that the library profession is where I wanted to be. It's where I want to make a positive impact. In this way, I feel it subconsciously supported and motivated me, inspired me and informed me in ways that served me greatly as I prepared to go further into the field.

The awesome experience of truly understanding how I am a part of a thriving network that goes beyond my library has really propelled me forward in my thinking, as I have described here and fueled ideas that have translated into providing even more value to my library and community. Being a member of a professional library organization like OLC widens my perspective, fuels my inspiration and strengthens my resolve.

What is your favorite OLC memory?

To be clear, this is not something that you have to be a member to enjoy, but without a doubt, the experience that touched my heart the most was the process of becoming a Certified Ohio Public Librarian (CPL). It was a similar experience to getting my diploma. It was an affirmation of all the hard work I had done in a tangible form. I was expecting a simple letter at the most. What I received was a framed certificate commemorating my achievement and dedication to the profession along with a beautiful lapel pin.

I want to say also that it is important to communicate how for most of my life I had no concept of what it was like to be working towards being included in and then eventually working directly as a member of a professional field. I found this to be a profound existential boost to the quality of my life. I saw I was capable of creating value in the world. Becoming a part of the library profession has been transformative. Becoming a CPL was pivotal in my understanding of this. I highly recommend library workers take this opportunity to grow professionally.

Where can you sometimes be found in your free time?

When I am not at the library, I sometimes spend my free time at Barnes & Noble, sipping coffee and dreaming of all the books I want to write one day. I also go to art museums in the area. When luck is really on my side, I find myself at TEDx events. I like to keep my mind fed and my soul nourished. Life is an exciting adventure. I am grateful that libraries are here to help us all become the best versions of ourselves. Libraries are a gift. I accept them gladly!