Megamentor

Among patrons and peers at the Utah Valley University campus, outreach and patron services librarian Dustin Fife is known as “overwhelmingly passionate about service and mentorship, which shines through every interaction,” says colleague Mary Naylor. Fife is unafraid to step outside the library comfort zone to fulfill his role. His long list of accomplishments includes the creation of a mobile “Ask Me Anything!” cart, which brings reference services via an iPad and some manuals to the wider community, enabling students to access information and receive assistance outside the library.

Fife has been influential not only beyond the library building but beyond the campus. As a participant in ILEAD (Innovative Librarians Explore, Apply, and Discover) in 2013, he founded and continues to work on Creative Libraries Utah (CLU), a website that enables Utah librarians to share their unique resources via Creative Commons licenses. The site connects librarians across the state and has created a thriving community. Utah State Library data coordinator Kristen Stehel says Fife’s “perseverance [with CLU] ignited new ideas including the Evil Librarians podcast,” in which Fife interviews Utah librarians about their projects, institutions, and events in the library world.

Fife has taken numerous colleagues under his wing, and the general consensus among them is that he changes the way they think and approach their work. “He finds ways to make things happen,” says Utah Library Association past president Pamela Martin. “He encourages grand ideas and enables people to act on those ideas.”