Resume

Cherie 

Cheryl Kathleen Yanek 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylyanek/ 

Passionate Librarian ǀ Thorough Researcher ǀ Thoughtful Writer  ǀ  DEI Leader

My love of libraries means I dive into the community I am serving to provide the best resources, literature, and information connections for the users. With my research, I seek to answer people’s questions, providing them information they want and need. My writing provokes, examines, questions, entertains, and discovers. Having been a librarian at a nonprofit focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)  for 10 years, I also have been a diversity leader in schools, and incorporate DEI into my curriculum and collection development policies. I have intermediate Spanish language skills, am a certified yoga teacher, a qualified running coach, an ultramarathon race director, and am energetic, innovative, creative, and fun. 

EXPERIENCE 

School Library Media Specialist (2019-January 2022) 

Churchill School and Center: New York, New York 

  • Solo K-12 librarian at a private school geared towards students with language-based learning disabilities; managed and directed all aspects of the library, including collection development, acquisitions, cataloging, subscription management, library budget, donation drives, book fairs, coordinating with vendors, author visits, library displays and marketing, and all programming. 
  • Created an eBook collection from scratch on Sora, with increased eBook circulation every month.
  • Taught regular elementary school classes, geared towards increasing love of reading, improving literacy skills, expanding access to literature, understanding basic research skills, and exposing students to diverse books and history; educated middle and high school students on research and information tools, plagiarism and note-taking processes, readers advisory, media literacy, and supported students in growing literacy skills. Strong focus on cultivating a love of reading, and classes related to diversity, equity, and inclusivity.  
  • Performed collection-wide inventory, weeding irrelevant and damaged books from the collection, and identified collection gaps, purchasing materials to fill gaps.
  • Found new ways to engage readers by creating a library YouTube channel featuring read alouds of library books which students accessed via QR code added to book covers; produced and edited all videos.
  • Supervised parent and student volunteers.

Upper Division Librarian (2017-2019); Lower Division Spanish Language Librarian (2017) 

Avenues: The World School: New York, New York 

  • School librarian, 2 years old to grade 12, teaching library classes on utilizing research databases and resources, media literacy and information literacy, and sharing books through well-crafted story times, adjusting lesson plans to meet current student needs.
  • Managed collection development, focusing on adding more diverse texts to the collection, building community amongst students and teachers as readers.  
  • Trained new librarians.
  • Partnered with school leadership and teachers to support class curriculum with print and electronic resources, in-class lessons, individualized research assistance, and teachers’ resources.
  • Promoted the library via newsletters, bookmarks, social media, blog posts, electronic and in-person communication with external and internal users, presentations, and displays. 
  • Shared a deep love and knowledge of literature demonstrated through readers’ advisory, book talks, and independent reading consultations. Led and managed student and faculty book clubs; arranged and hosted author visits to explore, expose, and promote celebrated authors to readers. 


Freelance Writer (2015-Present) 

  • Freelance writer for various websites and publications, including Library Journal, Bustle, Trail Runner, Huffington Post, and Ultrarunning. Full list of published articles on www.cherylyanek.com 
  • Created, fact-checked and updated articles, white papers, fact-sheets, and reports, incorporating SEO into articles. 

Director (2013-2016); Senior Associate Librarian (2009-2013); Associate Librarian (2006-2009)
Catalyst: New York, New York 

  • Researcher, reference librarian, and author of white papers and fact-sheets about women, workplace trends, and diversity at a women’s nonprofit. Research focuses included transgender issues in the workplace, women in the workplace in India and Mexico, global struggles for women in the workplace, LGBT issues in the workplace, work-life balance issues, and creating diverse and inclusive workplaces.  
  • Provided accessible information to produce convincing arguments, delivered background research for decision-making processes, and shared critical knowledge necessary for presentations, reports, publications, and creating change for members, staff, media, and the general public.
  • Expertise in using the Internet and various databases, including EBSCOhost, JSTOR, Factiva, LexisNexis, and ProQuest, for research purposes. 
  • Project management expertise included managing publication series of statistical factsheets and white papers about gender, work, and diversity, including writing, editing, monitoring staff progress, and fact-checking. 
  • Led and created social media efforts, using various social media channels and tools, matching overall strategic plans, and analyzing metrics to constantly improve in order to exceed goals. 
  • Directed, managed, and effectively delegated tasks to interns, associate librarians, and volunteers, while providing them with meaningful supervision and mentorship; managed an influential global diversity team.
  • Developed bibliographic instruction and training series sessions. 
  • Experience with using various Content Management Systems and social media to promote the library and organization-wide messages. 
  • Extensive experience with all aspects of collection development, including acquisitions, cataloging (both copy and original cataloging), and organizing articles, books, videos, ephemera, and reports.

Librarian (2005-2006) 

Katharine Gibbs School: New York, New York

  • Reference librarian for a small two-year college, providing teachers and faculty with in-depth research assistance.
  •  Vastly expanded the collection in response to an accreditation review, including acquisitions, cataloging, processing, and displays.
  • Bibliographic instruction, including information literacy skills and database instruction.
  • Supervision of student workers. 

Librarian (2005-2006) 

Barnard College: New York, New York 

  • Reference and research librarian for a large women’s college; supported students with database research, locating of materials, and formatting citations.


Junior Librarian (2003-2005) 

Deloitte Consulting: New York, New York 

  • Performed research requests for clients, performing regular literature searches using various databases to keep track of news and trends for the financial services and IT industries.
  • Cataloged (primarily original cataloging) and organized articles, books, videos, and reports.

Assistant Librarian (2001-2003) 

Allen Ginsberg Library, Naropa University: Boulder, Colorado 

  • Managed Interlibrary Loan process.
  • Provided reference support for users at circulation desk with locating, evaluating, and using information.
  • Performed all aspects of circulation

EDUCATION 

MLS School of Library and Information Science. CUNY-Queens College: Flushing, New York. (2005)

MFA Writing & Poetics. Naropa University: Boulder, Colorado. (2003)

  • Jack Kerouac Scholarship Recipient

BA Creative Writing; Minors: Journalism and Women’s Studies. SUNY-New Paltz: New Paltz, NY. (2000)

  • magna cum laude
  • Dean’s List

CERTIFICATES


Designing a Flexible Future: Library Redesign. School Library Journal. (May 2021)
Equity in Action: Fostering an Anti-Racist Library Culture. School Library Journal. (March 2021)

SELECT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
See Full List of Presentations on Website

  • Metropolitan Library Council Workshop: Teaching Media Literacy to K-12 Students (May 2019).
    ● Teaching with Technology: (Mis)Informed: Fake News, Misinformation, and Our Culture: Creating Library Programming for the 21st Century (April 2019). 
  • Special Library Association New York: Listen to Your Users – Then You Can Give Them What They Want (July 2015) 
  • Special Library Association 2015: Poster Session: More, More, More to Do, Yet Less, Less, Less Time: Here’s How to Be More Productive Than Ever! (June 2015) 
  • Special Library Association IT Division/European Division: Listen to Me: How to Perfect Your Voice on Social Media for Maximum Engagement (April 2015) 
  • Metropolitan Library Council Conference: What They Really Want: How to Create Innovative Research That People Will Actually Use (January 2015)
    ● Special Library Association 2012: Social Media: #IKnowTheBasicsWhat’sNext (July 2012)
    ● Special Library Association 2009: Radical Reference: Using Technology to Provide Access for All