Kayla Siddell (‘13) is eager to mentor students and help them prepare for the real world, as she remembers what it is like to be in their position. Siddell earned her master’s degree in information sciences from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2013. She is currently the chief operational officer (COO) of the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library.
Her journey since graduating has taken her from attending UT to now leading one of the nation’s top libraries serving historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and she is working to launch a practicum program to support the next generation of librarians.
“It’s like a circle of life. You create great students who go on to become excellent librarians, and they will come back to do the same for others,” she said.
Siddell emphasized, “We want students to come here, gain practical experience, and ultimately transition into full-time roles. We welcome alumni, current students, and prospective students.”
She has been with AUC since November 2024, which is an organization not affiliated with any single school. Instead, she said, they are a standalone non-profit organization that serves member institutions. AUC currently serves Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University, which are all historically Black colleges and universities.
“I don’t anticipate working outside of an HBCU if I continue in academia, as I believe this is the place where I can make the most positive impact for the largest number of students,” Siddell explained.
In her current role as COO, Siddell oversees day-to-day operations and develops programming policies and procedures. She is also working on establishing a practicum, residency, and fellowship pipeline for students at UT.
“I want our institution to be a place where students and new librarians can gain practical experience, immerse themselves in the library environment, and feel a sense of belonging,” she expressed.
Siddell deeply values opportunities for hands-on work, as her own career trajectory was impacted by opportunities to get hands-on experience while she was a master’s student. Becoming a librarian wasn’t Siddell’s initial goal when she began school as an undergraduate. She actually began her academic career as a pre-med student before realizing she had no interest in becoming a doctor.
“I realized that I wasn’t doing it for myself; I was doing it for my parents. So I decided to pursue something that truly interested me. I started studying psychology, wanted to be a psychologist, and joined the East Tennessee State University’s Ronald McNair Program in my sophomore year. I got into a research lab and just fell in love with research,” she explained.
After completing her undergraduate degree, Siddell’s mother suggested that she consider becoming a librarian to advance her career in the field. Siddell grew up in Knoxville, where her mother worked as a public librarian for nearly 30 years, though she never obtained a master’s degree in the discipline.
“She was the assistant branch manager for 19 years but was never able to become the manager because she didn’t have a master’s degree. She said, ‘If you get your master’s, you can do what I was never able to do.’” Siddell recalled.
Siddell submitted her curriculum vitae (CV) to the School of Information Sciences at UT, which ended up in the hands of Professor Suzie Allard. Allard reached out to Siddell and invited her for a meeting.
“She said, ‘We’ll offer you a fellowship, pay your tuition, and provide you with a stipend.’ I replied, ‘Deal, where do I sign?’” Siddell laughed.
While pursuing her master’s degree, Siddell spent a year at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she built repositories and databases and learned to code.
During her fellowship at ORNL, Allard informed her that the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) within the U.S. Department of Energy was hiring and encouraged her to apply. She successfully obtained the job and worked part-time for OSTI while also continuing her fellowship.
By the time Siddell graduated with her MSIS, she had been working full-time at OSTI for about two years.
Siddell’s experience at OSTI pushed Slidell to transition into academia. Her first academic position was as a data curation librarian at Indiana State University, where she worked for four years before pursuing her PhD.
Siddell earned her PhD in educational leadership at Xavier University of Louisiana while simultaneously working at the university.
“I ended up graduating, and although it took me an extra two years, it worked out well because my son graduated high school the same weekend I received my doctorate,” she shared.
After spending six years in Louisiana, Siddell interviewed for the associate library director position at AUC and was offered the job.
Her goal is to design programs that provide real-world library experience and promote job readiness for students from all backgrounds.
“I hope to contribute to the field by creating opportunities for learning and growth, as well as effectively marketing our programs to attract individuals from other fields during their undergraduate studies and guide them toward information sciences,” she stated.
Siddell shared that her time at UT allowed her to explore various aspects of librarianship, thanks in large part to the support of the faculty, who helped her engage deeply with her experiences. She now aims to provide similar opportunities for students who find themselves in her previous position.
You can learn more about practicum experiences by visiting our website.