Amigos Welcomes New Staff Members

Amigos Library Services is pleased to welcome the following staff of the St. Louis-based Missouri Library Network Corporation (MLNC) to Amigos. MLNC staff members officially became members of Amigos' staff July 1, 2012, when that organization's operations were formally merged into Amigos. They will work from Amigos' St. Louis office.

Tracy Rochow Byerly now serves as Amigos' Chief Communications and Membership Development Officer. She had been MLNC's Executive Director since December 2003. Her many notable accomplishments at MLNC included designing and initiating the MLNC Speakers Series, revising the organization's bylaws, and overseeing the implementation of a customer relationship management system to improve the organization's efficiency and service to members. Tracy had been with MLNC since 1995, previously serving as User Services Manager. Prior to then she held both technical and public service positions within the St. Louis County Library. She has a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Bachelor of Science degree from Fontbonne University, St. Louis. She currently serves as a Member-at-Large on the board of the Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies.

Keith Gaertner now serves as Budget and Finance Analyst for Amigos. He had been with MLNC for over 25 years, with responsibility for accounting, personnel services, and the MLNC computer network. He began his MLNC career in 1984 as a part-time accountant and became full-time business manager in 1987. In 2008 he was promoted to Associate Director, Business Services. Keith implemented several systems that have streamlined processes and increased organizational efficiency, including a remote deposit capture system, a customer relationship management system, and Citrix server for remote access to the network. Keith has a Master of Arts degree in information technology management from Webster University, St. Louis, a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and two Chancellor's certificates in data processing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Linda Elkow now serves Amigos as Integration Assistant. She held a variety of positions at MLNC since 1984, most recently as Member Services Assistant. Her primary focus included support for members who participated in MLNC's electronic resource programs and workshops, and assistance in MLNC's active association management program. Linda was previously the director of the Maplewood, MO, Public Library. She holds a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Lars Hagelin now serves as a Continuing Education Librarian on an on-call basis for Amigos. He was MLNC's Communications/Events Specialist since 2010. In this role he managed the MLNC website and Facebook page, facilitated workshop arrangements, and edited the monthly newsletter. Lars previously worked as Special Projects Librarian at Mid-Continent Public Library, Kansas City, MO, and Client Registration Website Developer for iPlanIt Meetings, Longmont, CO, an event management company.

Beth Willis now serves as a Continuing Education Librarian on an on-call basis for Amigos. She joined MLNC in 2011 as Member Services Consultant for library services and group purchases. Earlier professional roles included Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator for the Kansas City Metropolitan Library, Information Network and Interlibrary Loan Department Head at Mid-Continent Public Library, Kansas City, MO, and technology assessment, planning, and management consultant to the South Texas Library System, Corpus Christi, TX. Beth has a Master of Library Science degree from the State University of New York at Albany.