AspenCon 2024 Speakers

Manager of Access

Tricia Andrews is the Manager of Access at the Metropolitan Library System. She has a MLS from Emporia State University and has worked in libraries for over 15 years in both academic and public libraries.

She has done everything from shelving to working the circulation desk (and managing both), and while working in an academic library as the electronic services librarian, created a for credit course on Information Literacy.

AspenCat Services Manager

Bob has been working in libraries for 20 years and using open source software to help libraries achieve their goals for over 10 years.

Librarian & Customer Services Consultant

After completing a library degree in France, Aude worked for many years in the public library service of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. She joined PTFS Europe in 2021, where she works with various library teams to implement Koha or Aspen, delivers training and helps with support. One of her first projects was actually to implement Aspen in her former library! Her professional interests include digital literacy, privacy, open data and intellectual property.

Outside of work she enjoys playing board games and hiking.

Senior Developer and Information Technology Manager

Galen Charlton is a Senior Developer and Information Technology Manager who has worked in library automation for over twenty years, helping libraries with moving to, extending, and enhancing their ILSs and digital library systems. He received a BS in mathematics from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. He has worked the full gamut of library types and sizes, including small church libraries, public and academic libraries of all sizes, library consortia, and national libraries. As Implementation and IT Manager, Galen provides oversight of Equinox implementation and hosting services. In addition, Galen is responsible for Equinox’s efforts to protect patron privacy and maintain a secure infrastructure.

Galen is a contributor to open source library projects including Aspen Discovery, VuFind, Koha and Evergreen, having done stints as developer, bug wrangler, meeting facilitator, release manager, conference organizer, and board member.

Cataloging and Metadata Librarian

Rhiana Compton is a Cataloging and Metadata librarian at Arlington Public Library. While pursuing her MLIS degree, she had the good fortune to intern with the Freer Gallery of Art where she worked with the Smithsonian's Digital Asset Management System.

With a marked interest in cataloging graphic novels, Rhiana is currently researching imaginary organizations and other fictitious entities as a member of the NACO/SACO Comics and Fiction Funnel.

Additionally, she is part of the team that manages the Friends of the Library's donations, eight branch bookstores, and the 30+ volunteers who make it happen.

Aspen Implementation Specialist

Morgan began her journey as a public library volunteer while studying graphic design. Eventually, she realized her heart belonged to the library world and went on to receive her MLIS from the University of Missouri. As a librarian she has experience with teaching technology classes for adults, leading staff development workshops, and having a blast in youth services.

Originally from Kansas City, Morgan now lives in Georgia with her tiny dog and large cats. In her personal time she enjoys hiking, audiobooks, cross-stitching, and video games.

Director of Business Development at Ebooks and Community Engagement 

James English currently works as Director of Business Development at Ebooks and Community Engagement Division | Lyrasis where he conducts business development activities, partnership development, and new market entry as part of the division team. He also works across other company open source programs to help build scalable and sustainable services and drive innovation. 

Prior to LYRASIS James worked at The New York Public Library to create the Library Simplified Program and SimplyE platform. Before coming to work in the nonprofit sector, James was Chief Product and Executive Officer of Telemetry Labs and as Chief Product and Operations Officer for Guardian Networks, both web and mobile product development service providers specializing in machine-to-machine technology development, R&D and managed services for utilities, municipalities and fortune 500 companies.

He has a MBA from Goizuetta Business School, Emory University and a BSE from The United States Military Academy, West Point.

Aspen Product Librarian

Jordan holds an MSLIS and a CAS in Digital Libraries from Syracuse University as well as a BA in Comparative Literature from Indiana University. She spent the first phase of her career working in technology management for public libraries from a large urban public library to a smaller rural library system and even a mixed-type library consortium.

Frustrated by the lack of good software options for libraries, she turned her attention to product management and support where she has spent the past several years working on patron-facing offerings including library discovery, archives, and marketing platforms. There’s nothing she enjoys more than talking to librarians and dreaming up the future for their communities.

Jordan lives in Colorado and spends most of her free time enjoying the mountains.

Aspen Product and Quality Assurance Analyst

Myranda Fuentes holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University. She is a lifelong public library enthusiast with experience working in academic special collections on digital library projects.

She currently lives in Southern New Hampshire with her sister and pampered cat. In her free time, Myranda rarely allows herself to be severed from the divine light of the computer screen, although right now she's particularly fixated on starting her own homelab and learning to stop writing CSS like it's 2007.

Developer

Lucas received his MLIS from San Jose State University. He spent 7 years working in public libraries and 4 as a systems librarian.

In his free time, Lucas loves skiing, mountain biking, and anything outdoors.

Head of UX & Technology

Amanda L. Goodman is the Head of UX & Technology at Darien Library, a public library in Connecticut. Before this role, she was the User Experience (UX) Librarian and the Publicity Manager.

She wrote the books, Marketing Plans in Action: A Step-by-Step Guide for Libraries, Archives, and Cultural Organizations, The Comparative Guide to WordPress in Libraries: A LITA Guide, and Library Technology Report, Digital Media Labs in Libraries. She has written articles for UX Magazine and Library Journal. 

Digital Initiatives & Platforms Librarian

Product and Education Specialist

Lena Hernandez is a Product and Education Specialist at EquinoxOLI. Her focus there is on creating accessible and inclusive educational experiences. She has worked in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) sector for about fifteen years. Her work with libraries has primarily been in acquisition and circulation.

At San Jose State University she earned her MLIS while also completing an Advanced Certificate in Strategic Management of Digital Assets. 

Systems Librarian

Bryan Neil Jones is a Systems Librarian at Nashville Public Library in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Bryan is a member of Library Freedom Project and Chair of Tennessee Library Association's Library Technologies Roundtable.

Head of Reference and Information Services

Samuel is the Head of Reference and Information Services at the Maury Loontjens Memorial Library in Narragansett, RI, which just opened its new location in January of this year.

He is also the co-chair of the Ocean State Library Consortium's Reference Working Group and was on the Aspen Implementation Team when the Consortium voted to move to Koha and Aspen last year.

Directory of Library Services

Linda Kramer has been the Director of Library Services at Martin Luther College since 2014 in a position that allows her to do actual librarian stuff in addition to administrative duties. Before working at MLC, she had roles as a school librarian, stay-at-home mom, library board member, township clerk, and travel blogger, each of which prepared her for different aspects of her current work.

A graduate of the University of North Dakota and Indiana University, she and her husband live on a farm in south-central Minnesota, where she enjoys quilting, crocheting, and planning their next adventure.

Aspen Developer

Kirstien holds an MPS in UX Design from MICA, a BS in Computer Science from Fort Hays State University, and an AAS in Graphic Design from Salina Area Technical College. With over twenty years of development and design experience, she fell into the library world on a whim after joining the technology department at her local public library. While working there, she quickly found libraries as a place where she could apply her skills to make information and resources more accessible to real people.

Kirstien lives in central Kansas with her cat Harley, and in her free time she enjoys reading spooky thriller novels, collecting quirky art from comic conventions, and watching too many true crime documentaries.

Kirstien is a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) International, and serves on the Organizing Committee for Designing for Digital.

Aspen Developer

Kodi Lein started her career by first pursuing Dietetics/Nutrition, but decided to shift her goals towards software development due to her passion for video games. She went on to earn her BS in software development from Champlain College and discovered that she loves programming and UI/UX design even outside of game development. Her work in healthcare, as well as other customer service-based positions, bolstered her skills in communication and problem-solving and she is excited to combine those skills and experiences with her technical skills to assist ByWater's library partners!

Currently, she lives in Vermont with her cat but grew up in Kansas City and hopes to be moving to Seattle soon! In her spare time, you can find her reading, singing, playing the guitar, or playing video games.

Aspen Implementation Specialist

Collection Services Assistant Manager

Devin McGhee has worked at Metropolitan Library System for the past 11 1/2 years as a library manager, cataloger and, currently, as Assistant Manager of Collection Services. She uses her knowledge of guest needs and searching habits to help her make sure materials are easily accessible to staff and guests. For the past few years, Devin has delved into the ethics surrounding cataloging, especially around accessibility and naming conventions. She received her MLIS from the University of Oklahoma.

Aspen Architect

Mark graduated with a degree in Architectural Engineering, but moved immediately into software development. More than half his career has been spent building software for libraries with the majority of the time spent working on Discovery software. He enjoys creating innovative new functionality to make library software work better for patrons and staff.

In his spare time, Mark enjoys being outdoors running and hiking, traveling, and hanging out with his kids.

Junior Software Engineer

Before joining the PTFS Europe team, Jacob had originally studied Mathematics and began his journey into software engineering through self-teaching. Whilst learning, he worked to support clinical/pharmaceutical trials with their data management and improving task efficiencies. Jacob is an enthusiastic learner and enjoys being faced with challenges and problems to solve.

Alongside his passion for computer programming, Jacob’s other passion is cooking and he previously used to work as a chef. Jacob currently lives in Swansea with his partner and two cats.

Cataloging and Metadata Librarian

Keisha Poole is a Cataloging and Metadata Librarian at Arlington Public Library in Arlington, Virginia. Keisha has over 15 years of experience working in both academic and public libraries, providing rich metadata for diverse and myriad materials, across a variety of interfaces.

With an emphasis on end-use accessibility, Keisha is interested in the clarity of OPAC information and the adaptability of the OPAC to better connect data from various resources to the most useful and relevant search results.

Systems Librarian

Kellie Stephens a Systems Librarian at the McKinney Public Library in Texas. Her job is customizing UI/UX on our open-source ILS and Aspen Discovery layer. Her favorite part is adding helpful and eye-catching enhancements to our webpages using HTML/CSS and JavaScript.

Systems Librarian

Chanel has worked for 12 years as a Systems Librarian for the Yavapai Library Network, a multi-type library consortium in the mountains of Arizona. She’s been a fan of open source for decades reminding people that Linux is more solid and secure than Windows.

Discovery Layer Consultant

Ben Wolfe is the Discovery Layer Consultant for the Colorado Library Consortium. He comes from an art background, having received a Bachelor of Science in Media Arts & Animation. He discovered a love of library work as the Library Assistant for a community college library.

When not working he finds leisure in videogames, cooking, and random art endeavors.

User Experience Manager

Tara Wood is the User Experience Manager for SWAN Library Services, a consortium of 100 libraries in the Chicagoland area, where she lead the migration to Aspen Discovery. Previously, she worked in universities and public libraries, in user experience, library technology, and digital resources. She loves talking about discovery, UX design activities, and pizza.