Q+A - Julie Quillman
Julie began her career at OC Public Libraries in 1986 as a Librarian in Cataloging and rose through the ranks. Most recently, she became head of the Bibliographic Services division and was a member of the Library Administration Policy Team, where she helped create and direct the annual OCPL strategic plan. Precautions were taken during the interview and the photoshoot to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Q. WHAT LED YOU TO THIS CAREER? When I was a student at UC Irvine, I had a job in the art library cataloging slides used for art history classes, and I loved it! I found the philosophy of librarianship, specifically organizing information, fascinating and I was inspired to become a librarian. Q. DO YOU HAVE ANY MENTORS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE? I specialized in cataloging and I worked for many years for Donna Levi, who was then the head of Cataloging at OC Public Libraries, and of course, our previous County Librarian, Helen Fried. Donna and Helen helped me develop and contributed to my career growth. 12
Co u nt y Conn e c t ion
Q. YOU STARTED AS A LIBRARIAN WITH OC PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN 1986. WHAT HAS ENCOURAGED YOU TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS? When I started in the Cataloging Department, we were allocated one hour a day on the computer, and our catalog was on microfilm. We still had card catalogs. Flash forward to this year, we began a new contract for the software that provides our library information system, which is really the heart of the library. The coding, the connections and features of the software are powerful and indispensable to the library now. The function is still the same: making information available. Our mission never goes out of date – empowering and enriching our communities – but how we accomplish that changes as we continue to adapt and develop our goals to best serve our patrons. We always support freedom of access, equity of access, and intellectual freedom, and we help to create an informed citizenry. We support diversity, provide the resources to reflect that diversity, and we encourage and promote lifelong learning. I find that inspiring every day. Q. WHAT SORT OF DUTIES DO YOU HAVE AT WORK? I support and lead our staff who are providing excellent
