Libraries Staff Advisory Council

About Us

The Library Staff Advisory Council (LSAC) serves as a forum for issues pertaining to staff employees of the University Libraries and serves in an advisory capacity to the dean and administration of the University Libraries. The council brings forward topics of interest or concern, projects, and initiatives that relate to all the full-time, part-time, and student staff employees who work at all of our library locations. The Council also collaborates with other groups within the University Libraries and the University as appropriate.

LSAC provides leadership for projects and initiatives relating to staff and members make it a priority to proactively engage with our staff employees to represent the wide spectrum of interests across our large and diverse organization.

Our Meeting Structure

  • Meetings are held every other month with the Dean and Associate Deans and are facilitated by the LSAC chair and administrative team co-chair.
  • On alternate months the LSAC Working Group meets to move action items and initiatives forward in preparation for the next LSAC meeting and for All-Staff meetings.
  • LSAC All-Staff meetings are held quarterly and provide an opportunity to introduce members to all staff at the Libraries, share feedback on current initiatives, share communication channels, and request feedback.
  • Meetings are virtual so that staff members from all library locations can attend and participate equally.

Our Membership

  • Members are selected by the Dean and LSAC following an open call for interest every April, with new candidates chosen before the May LSAC meeting.
  • Members reflect a cross-section of departments, job functions, levels, and diversity. All staff are welcome to apply. Note that participation counts as work time and it is also a great way to add to your professional development goals and service skills.
  • Three staff and two students are appointed annually for 3-year terms. The Dean appoints an Associate Dean to serve as co-convener.
  • Committee positions include Chair, Vice-Chair, Past Chair, Secretary and Administrative Team co-chair. The User Services Training Coordinator serves as an ex-officio member.
  • An LSAC representative is appointed to the Dean’s Leadership Council (DLC).

Current Membership

  • Jill Cataldi, Penn State Shenango (Jan 2020 - June 2023), Past-Chair
  • Shelbie Howard, Penn State Greater Allegheny (July 2024 – June 2027)
  • Sneha Kallinkal, Penn State Brandywine (July 2023 - June 2026)
  • August Kane, Common Services (July 2024 – June 2027)
  • Grant Loose, Penn State Worthington Scranton (July 2023 - June 2026)
  • April Myers, Collection Maintenance (July 2022 - June 2025), Chair
  • Niema Nelson, Penn State Brandywine (July 2022 - June 2025)
  • Keisha Oliver, Student, Special Collections (July 2024 – June 2025)
  • Beth Olmsted, Penn State Harrisburg (July 2023 - June 2026)
  • Angel Peterson, Research Informatics and Publishing (July 2023 - June 2026)
  • Michael Pettinato, Student, Penn State Behrend (July 2024 – June 2025)
  • Linda Sanchez, Penn State Berks (July 2024 – June 2027)
  • Brian Shook, Teaching and Learning with Technology (July 2024 – June 2027)
  • Tyesa Simpson, Common Services (July 2022 - June 2025)
  • Danielle Steinhart, Office of Scholarly Communications and Copyright (July 2024 – June 2027
  • Brent Stump, Cataloging and Metadata Services (July 2022 - June 2025), Vice-Chair
  • Leigh Tinik, Library Assessment (July 2022 - June 2025), Secretary
  • Brandon Zimmerman, Libraries Strategic Technologies (July 2023 - June 2026
  • Nathan Hall, Administration Team, Co-convenor
  • Carmen Gass, User Services, Ex-officio member

Contact Us

We always welcome the opportunity to collaborate with others. Please feel free to reach out to us at lsac@psu.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!