STEMLibCo

I love being a STEM Librarian. I get to channel my inner geeky science student and support students in STEM disciplines at my current institution. It is 1000% why I became a librarian. However, there isn’t another STEM-related librarian at my institution. While a lot of librarianship can be mirrored across disciplines, there are some peculiarities and nuances specific to STEM. When I started this job, another librarian told me that the science faculty at this school “can be quirky” – but really it takes a certain temperament to exist in a STEM field, and to be a STEM Librarian. When I found STEM Librarians Collaborative, I was delighted to find a group that was supportive, inclusive, and encouraging. There’s a fantastic Discord server where questions get answered and jokes get shared, and librarians can find resources to support their work with STEM. The Discord server for STEMLibCo is active all year, but it really shines during the annual virtual conference. There are channels for each day, as well as relevant (and potentially irrelevant but perfectly appropriate) channels for various topics of interest to the group. I have the pleasure of serving as one of three co-chairs for the annual conference, and 2025 was the second year of my three-year term as co-chair. In addition to the three co-chairs, there is a group of members who serve on the planning committee, assisting with the call for and review of conference proposals, moderating conference sessions, and many more tasks in between. I’m amazed at the amount of work that gets done, and how willingly everyone pitches in to put on our conference. It’s my favorite librarian-related conference, and I look forward to it all year. If you are looking for a STEM-related library group, check out our website (which will be changing locations in 2026 but we’ll announce that update) https://www.stemlib.co/

Nancy Shore