Jenny Bodenhamer is a Digital Services Librarian at Oklahoma State University. In this role, she has delved into the world of metadata, integrated library systems, and new technologies. She enjoys constantly learning and providing access to OSU's resources to as many people as possible.
Before OSU, Jenny Bodenhamer worked in access services and then spent 11 years cataloging with the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. There she learned the importance of creating cataloging/metadata records for your local audience as well as the broader population.
When not at work, you can find Jenny on her acreage in the middle of nowhere. She will be neglecting the need to mow her lawn in order to walk her Great Pyrenees, Remy, and his much smaller partner in crime, Chip.
Leanne Cheek is the Readers’ Services Coordinator for the Pioneer Library System, managing collection development for the system. She earned her Master of Library and Information Studies in 2009 from the University of Oklahoma. Leanne has served as the chair for the OLA Intellectual Freedom Committee for 3 years, graduated from the OLA GOLD Leadership Institute and the MPLA Leadership Institute, and teaches ODL Certification Classes. Leanne is currently serving on the ALA Coalition Building Committee and is the ALA Counselor for OLA. Leanne has held multiple positions in the library world and is constantly looking for ways to advance her profession by advocating and supporting library associations.
Matthew Galloway is Anythink Libraries’ collection development librarian in charge of adult fiction. He writes reviews for Library Journal and is currently co-chair of ALA RUSA’s Awards Coordinating Committee. He has previously served as a chair for The Reading List Council, Louis Shores Award, and Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards, as well as the Colorado Association of Libraries Adult Services and Readers Advisory Interest Groups. Additionally, he has volunteered for the Listen List, Colorado Book Awards, the Dartmouth Medal committee, and the CIPA EVVY awards and is a graduate of the 2013 OLA Gold class.
After graduating from the OU SLIS program in December 2016, Alyssa worked as a Reference and Instruction Librarian at the Schusterman Library at OU-Tulsa. Currently, she stays home with her daughters. In addition to serving on the OU SLIS Alumni Association Board, Alyssa is a founding board member of the Friends of the Schusterman Library (FOSL).
As an accidental librarian, Gail Oehler began her career with the Southern Oklahoma Library System (SOLS) in 2011 as Marketing/Communications Coordinator. Her membership and involvement in the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) propelled her career forward and she quickly discovered a passion for libraries that had a profound impact on her desire to obtain an MLIS from the University of Oklahoma. Oehler currently serves as the Executive Director of SOLS and is the President-Elect of OLA. She holds memberships in the American Library Association (ALA), Public Library Association (PLA), Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) and is an OLA GOLD Leadership Institute graduate. Her most recent honor was receiving the OLA Outstanding New Librarian award in 2022.
Cherity Pennington received her MLIS from OU SLIS in 2010 and began her library career as the school librarian at Shawnee Middle School in Shawnee, OK, in 2011. Since 2018, she has served as the district coordinator of communications and library services for Shawnee Public Schools. Pennington is a past president of OLA and is the current co-chair of the AASL National School Library Standards committee.
For the past 26 years, Martha has worked as a Teacher Librarian with Norman Public Schools, both at Jefferson Elementary and Norman High School, where she has served the last 19 years. Martha is a 1995 graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University, where she received a BSE in Early Childhood Education, and a 2000 graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s School of Library and Information Studies. She is active in state and national library organizations and was recognized as the 2018 Technology in Education award winner and the 2020 Polly Clarke award winner by the Oklahoma School Librarians association. She is also a member of the 2022 class of OLA GOLD and currently serves as Secretary of OLA and Awards Chair of OKSL.
Kirsten Walker is the Information Services Manager at the Southwest Oklahoma City Library, part of the Pioneer Library System. She has worked at SOKC since 2012, and for Pioneer since 2009. She received her MLIS from the University of Oklahoma in 2010. Kirsten was a member of the Sequoyah Reading Teams and Sequoyah Administration Team, as well as other OLA offices. Kirsten is a life-long Oklahoman and 3rd generation OU graduate.
