Kelsey Head, SVCC's LC Library Coordinator

By Will Tallman

Sauk Valley Community College has a new librarian – but she is a familiar face to many students on campus.

Kelsey Head was recently appointed to the Learning Commons Library Coordinator position after a seven-year tenure in the Human Resources department at SVCC. According to Kelsey, the transition was a natural one.

“The thing that I enjoy most about working at SVCC is the collaborative nature of our faculty and staff. There is definitely a sense of community, and a common aim of helping our students to achieve their goal,” said Kelsey in an interview conducted by the Skyhawk View. “I’ve felt that in positions at the college that are [either] student facing and non-student facing. No matter what we do at Sauk it’s all for our students.”

Kelsey, an Oregon, IL native, found her way back to the Sauk Valley community after receiving a master’s degree in Science in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Along the way, she also received her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, a field in which she still occasionally freelances today.

“When it came to working as a journalist, my favorite platform was radio,” says Kelsey, “I really enjoyed working at WIUM Tri States Public Radio which is the NPR affiliate in Macomb, IL. As a journalist, I worked for many different newspapers and magazines as well as a brief internship in TV news.”

As she puts it, this passion for different types of literary media started at an early age: “I was always a reader growing up. I feel like I grew up in my public library,” says Kelsey. “Once I started doing more long-form writing in high school, I realized that I had a talent for writing. I feel like that talent came from being an avid reader and being immersed in language and literature at a young age.”

SVCC students are likely to find inspiration in their new Library Coordinator’s academic and professional journey, as well as her palpable investment in students’ education. As she puts it, “No matter what we do at Sauk it’s all for our students…the part of my job that is the most rewarding is when I’m able to see something click with a library patron or a student.” Ms. Head’s enthusiasm for her role in the SVCC community serves as an example of the community spirit shared by students and faculty alike.

Outside of school, Kelsey operates a 250-acre family farm with her husband and in-laws. She is also a “self-proclaimed musicophile” and a classic horror movie enthusiast. She has an orange tabby cat named Butterscotch, who she endearingly admits is “super spoiled”. When not working at Sauk, Kelsey says that she and her husband enjoy travelling, “even if it’s just a day trip to Wisconsin.”