Teaching & Learning Champions are faculty & staff who contribute to student learning (Guided Pathways Essential Practice #4). We share their stories to celebrate their dedication to instructional excellence & innovation in a series of spotlight articles. #ACCExcellence

Courtney MlinarMeet Courtney Mlinar, Associate Professor and Head Librarian @ Elgin!

Three words that best describe you?

Positive, kind, encouraging

Tell us a little bit about what you do!

  • Manage Library staff, services, and daily operations/activities at the ACC Elgin Campus Library
  • Reference and Instruction Services to ACC students, faculty and staff
  • ACC LS Research Guides software Administrator
  • Administrator for Student Study Room Reservation software system in ACC Libraries and ACCelerators
  • ACC Copyright Officer
  • ACC Library Leadership Team member
  • ACC Library Services Information Literacy Council member
  • TLED Teaching and Learning Academy Design Team member

What is the best thing about your job?

Working with students, sharing my passion for research, and getting the “aha” moment in class.

How do you support faculty?

I support faculty teaching and learning both as a colleague and as an editor for the content in the Teaching and Learning Academy. I work closely with other faculty to integrate best practices of information literacy into classroom assignments and also assist with answering questions about fair use, copyright, and best practices in sharing information in the classroom and professional development opportunities. I am an education advocate and value the difference education makes in the lives of our students.

What’s the best advice you ever received?

Encourage the heart.

Do you have a motto or mantra or personal philosophy?

I have adopted a mantra from Leo Buscaglia (1924-1998), former professor of Special Education at USC: “My rule is always, People first and things second.,” which shares my teaching philosophy of the teacher’s role as facilitator or guide.

Courtney’s colleague, Gale Spear, shared a glowing review: “Courtney’s leadership role in Library Sciences is well known and very extensive. In addition to working full time as a head librarian at ACC’s Elgin Campus, in February 2019, Courtney authored, Embedded and Empowered: A Practical Guide for Librarians, published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. She’s presented numerous workshops for ACC faculty as well as at professional conferences. Currently, she is part of the American Library Association: ACRL (Association of College Research Libraries)Task Force revising ACRL standards. Finally, Courtney is a key member of TLED’s Teaching and Learning Academy Development Team. She provided the initial review of teaching and learning programs at other institutions; participated actively in the development of the TLA design, she’s edited module scripts, captioned some as well, assisted in the planning of the TLA face-to-face meetings, and the list goes on! She is core to the success and development of the TLA.”

Connect with Courtney via email (courtney.mlinar@austincc.edu) and learn more in her Expert Librarian Profile.

Recommend a Colleague:

Do you know someone who is a champion of teaching & learning? Send their name & why you’re nominating them to TLEDcomms@austincc.edu.