By Tess Goldwasser
Involved with the GLBTRT Program Planning Committee for the past five years, Shawn is now the chair. He also served a short term as director-at-large on the board and is moving into a role on the Bylaws committee and an ad-hoc committee planning a 2015 preconference. He hopes to use different responsibilities to get more experience in ALA, to “hopefully to better round myself out.â€
Shawn is Education Librarian at the University of Houston and the subject liaison to the College of Education on campus. Up for promotion this year (GOOD LUCK SHAWN!), he is always looking for ways to improve his professional skills and apply them to his work.
A transplant from Canada, here under a work visa, Shawn lives in Houston (TX) with his loving partner, Donovan. He says his hobbies are “pretty in line with librarianship†as he enjoys his “stories, be they print or AV.†He also plays Magic the Gathering and just acquired a Wii U, his first foray into console gaming since he was a kid.
When I asked Shawn what he’s most proud of, he said “I try and take a little bit of pride in every little accomplishment to help carry me through to the next one, whether it be figuring out a really nice Christmas present for the boyfriend or kicking butt in that last reference question.â€
If Shawn could be any animal, he said “A bear might be too obvious!†He’d rather be an orca. He grew up on the west coast of Canada and always felt a deep connection with them. He says, “They’re kings of the ocean, a place that honestly terrifies me, so I admire that they can so easily go where I can’t, and be so successful.â€
If he could have a dinner party with five culturally or historically significant figures, living or dead, he would invite Amelia Earhart, Jack Layton, Harvey Milk, Matthew Shepard, and Albert Einstein.
