I started my career as a research specialist with Access/Information right after leaving jail. Really, it’s true.
A few years after earning my MLIS from Denver University, I was employed by the Arapahoe Library District as a librarian in the Arapahoe County Detention Center. I loved working at the jail but I knew my skillset was in research, so the chance to get to flex those muscles in a position with A/I was an opportunity I could not pass up.
Having worked in state government and the legal field, I was eager to put my myriad talents to work and I was pleasantly surprised to find A/I doesn’t really do any basic research. All of the projects at A/I are highly specialized, unique undertakings. No basic research here. Everyone at A/I has a passion for results and is invested in getting the right answers to the right questions. There is both an art and a science to the research process and every project is an exercise in thinking creatively:
- How can I use this technology in a new way to get at the information?
- How can I synthesize this data into a meaningful story that gets at the heart of the customer’s need?
- How can I do this better?
We research at the speed of business, the pace at which we deliver high quality results still astounds me and I’ve already learned more in my short time with A/I than I would have imagined. The breadth of knowledge pulsing through this organization is impressive and I’ve found it is best leveraged when we’re all working together on behalf of a client.