E X P E R I E N C E

INDEPENDENT STUDY, Portraiture
Kara Bullock Art School, 2020-present

Classes and independent work in portraiture, figure studies, and still life

DEB WEIERS: Wonky Friends and Critters
EMMA PETTIT: Make A Splash
NATASHA RUSCHKA: Pattern Play
LET’S FACE IT 2021-2025: 51 lessons per year, each with a different portrait artist

UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies (GSE&IS)
West Los Angeles, California • January-March 2016, and October 2018-December 2023

Part-time Lecturer
Teaching specialty subjects to students pursuing their masters’ degree in library information studies.

Young Adult Literature
An overview of the interaction between young adults (ages 12-18) and books. How to understand the wishes, interests, and needs of the teenagers in a specific demographic and to properly evaluate, select, and use books and resources to draw them in and meet their intellectual, social, and emotional needs as regards YA literature. Includes both a history of the literature and an overview of genres and current-day trends.

Readers’ Advisory
A core value in a librarian’s skill set. Learning about readers: How they read, why they read, what kind of readers they are. Becoming familiar with the challenges of the readers’ advisory interview, recognizing and internalizing the specific appeals that make readers’ advisory possible. Promoting familiarity with all genres with the assistance of RA aids. Extending readers’ advisory services beyond the personal interaction to library, online, and social media venues.

MELISSCELLANEOUS ENTERPRISES • Los Angeles, California • July 2019 to present

Arts and Crafts Workshops
Both remote/virtual and in-person workshops for teens and adults at library branches as part of the L.A. Made program and Summer Reading at Los Angeles Public Library. Contour Drawing, Intro to Watercolor, Paper Marbling, T-shirt Stenciling, etc.

BURBANK PUBLIC LIBRARY • Burbank, California • September 2008 to October 2018
Burbank Public Library is a three-branch city library serving a population of about 105,000.

Senior Librarian—Young Adult Services

• Design, planning, and implementation of teen programs and activities for library system, with input and assistance from one branch teen librarian. Personally supervised all teen programs, and administered budgets (approximately $6,500) for:
  Three teen book clubs
  Summer reading program for teens
  Miscellaneous topical and theme programming September through May

• The lead teen collection development agent for all branches, sole selector for Central Library.
• Administered $6,500-$8,000 collection development budget, selected all content for
  grades 6-12.
• Provided in-library informal instruction on catalog and databases, and readers’ advisory for teens.
• Performed outreach, including BUSD middle and high school staff meetings, classroom database and catalog instruction, classroom book-talking, and attendance at community programs of interest and benefit to teens, such as Burbank Arts for All and Mayor’s Youth Task Force.
• Social media editor and content creator, including teen Facebook page, teen blog (yathinkbpl.blogspot.com), and adult blog (burbanklibrary.blogspot.com, since defunct).
• Supervised seven Library Pages: Assigned shelving sections, oversaw work, created weekly schedules, conducted yearly employee evaluations.
• Attended supervisors’ meetings, worked with various library committees, created staff training.

UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Services (GSE&IS)
West Los Angeles, California • September 2007 to September 2014

Guest Lecturer
Invited to speak in various classes by multiple professors on the topics of teen services, teen literature, readers’ advisory for teens, collection development for teens.

MOORPARK CITY LIBRARY • Moorpark, California • August 2007 to September 2008
The incorporated city of Moorpark has one library that serves a population of approximately 35,000.

Youth Services Librarian
Librarian for children ages birth through 18 at small one-site city library in Ventura County, under Library Systems and Services (LSSI), Inc. Planned all children’s and teen programming, including summer reading. Daily reference and readers’ advisory for all patrons. Responsible for collection development for entire youth services age span. Planned and conducted weekly storytime for ages birth through six.

MELLIOTT TITLE DESIGN • Lake Balboa, California • 1998 to 2007

Self-employed Movie Title Artist
Designed and produced main titles and end title credit crawls for the film industry, using such graphics software as Quark Xpress, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop.

G R A N T S   &   A W A R D S

L I B R A R Y

Dorothy C. McKenzie Award, for distinguished service to the field of children’s literature, 2012. Awarded by Children’s Literature Council of Southern California, for advocacy efforts for teens, including co-founding a volunteer program through the UCLA Department of Information Studies to bring books and book-talking groups to incarcerated teens at Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar, California.

LSTA Grant ($20,000) to design and implement a separate teen space at Burbank Central Library, 2011.

“Outside Lies Magic” Photography Project Grant (one of 26 librarians to receive training, materials and supplies, implementation of six-week program) from California Council for the Humanities, 2008.

Graduating Student Award, from UCLA GSE&IS, acknowledging academic performance, as well as practical work with Nidorf Juvenile Hall, 2007.

A R T

National Association of Women Artists (NAWA), New York, June, 2024

NAWA Merit Award for Flatscreen Entry, “Saint Side-Eye” acrylic on birch board,
12×16 inches

Valley Watercolor Society (VWS), Los Angeles, March, 2021

SECOND PLACE, “The Farmer,” Uniball pen and Daler Rowney inks on watercolor paper, 9×12 inches

HONORABLE MENTION/MERIT CERTIFICATE, “Breakfast with Two Valley Girls,” Uniball pen and watercolor on watercolor paper, 22×9 inches

P R E S E N T A T I O N S ,   P R O F E S S I O N A L   D E V E L O P M E N T

Panel Presenter, November 2019
“Reading Culture and Libraries: A Conundrum”
California Library Association (CLA) Conference

Panel Organizer and Presenter, November 2009
“Transforming Apathy Into Enthusiasm: Programming for Marginalized and At-Risk Young Adults”
California Library Association (CLA) Conference

Panel Organizer and Presenter, November 2007
“Readers in California’s Juvenile Halls”
California Library Association (CLA) Conference

Member:
American Library Association, Public Library Association, California Library Association, Young Adult Library Services Association

P U B L I C A T I O N

March/April 2020 issue of Public Libraries magazine. ReaderRevolutionPLA_ma2020

V O L U N T E E R   W O R K

Project Co-creator, 2006-2010
UCLA Nidorf Collective (later known as Books Behind Bars)
Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall, Sylmar, CA

• Negotiated with Probation, Mental Health, and Education Departments to advocate for youth, ensuring access to reading materials and book talks
• Procured reading materials via donations and book drives to supply 18 living units with a reading collection
• Created a book-talking program, beginning with three volunteers and one group and growing it to more than 20 librarians and UCLA graduate students serving hundreds of youth ages 12-20.
• Personally co-led a semi-monthly book talk with maximum security youth being tried as adults, ages 15-22.
• Wrote federal/county grant to fund librarian, books, programming

E D U C A T I O N

Independent Art Study, as detailed above, 2019-present

Masters Degree — Information Studies, 2007
UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
Specializing in Teen Services / Public Libraries

Art Curriculum, 2002-2005
Los Angeles Valley College, Van Nuys, CA
Graphic design, life drawing, painting, watercolor painting I-IV, and independent study

Bachelor’s Degree — Religious Studies, 1977
Pepperdine University, Malibu, California

S K I L L S   &   I N T E R E S T S

Reading and readers’ advisory, portrait painting, watercolor, contour drawing and illustration, writing, blogging, gardening, cooking, advocacy.