Hi! My name is Molly McKinney and I am about halfway through the MLIS program (going part time). I grew up in in Ithaca, NY, and attended Smith College in Northampton, MA. After college I worked as an acquisitions assistant in a business school library, but it didn’t occur to me to get my MLS then, although I liked my job. I moved out to California about 20 years ago. Capitalizing on my (ahem) incredibly practical religious history and archaeology major, I started working as a technical writer. I also met my husband, Sean, here in the Bay Area.
At the moment I am a stay at home mom to our two boys. They are in elementary school now (3rd and 5th grade) and I volunteer a lot at the school–in the library, running a recess Lego club. and administering and teaching in a program that brings more art and music to the classrooms.I teach art lessons in three classes and manage volunteer docents to teach the rest.
As the boys got older I started to look around for going-back-to-work possibilities, and I became interested in LIS studies. The online program works very well with my life as a mom and school volunteer. I am very interested in the emerging technologies pathway, especially since it ties in pretty well with my technical writing background. I am also trying to hedge my bets and cover academic librarianship as well.
I love to read (including a habit of constantly re-reading old favorites like George Eliot and Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings). I decorate cakes, and I like to play computer games, go hiking, and cook.
We all love to travel; the kids have got the travel bug from us too. Last summer we took the boys on an extensive trip in the west (Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Zion, Cedar Breaks, Bryce).
Bryce Canyon, Queen’s Garden Trail
Now the boys are badgering us to go to “Middle Earth” next (i.e., New Zealand–did I mention they also have the LOTR bug?) We also have a cat who is named Samwise (because of course he is). Unlike his namesake, our Samwise does not accompany us on our travels, and is always thrilled and irked when we come home (thrilled to see the boys, irked with me for leaving).
The human kittens are back, purr purr
I look forward to going through this class and getting you know all of you!
Mollificence 
January 26th, 2014 at 1:51 pm
Hi Molly,
Your comment on my blog led me over here, where I see that we another thing we have in common, in addition to a love of the southwest. I lived in the Northampton, MA area for 10 years (while attending UMass/Amherst and afterward) and still think of it as a second home.
January 26th, 2014 at 2:19 pm
Well, no wonder we are so cool. 😉
The western MA is area is very beautiful; great place to live. 🙂
January 27th, 2014 at 3:42 pm
Greetings Molly! I am impressed with the experience you are gaining working at the school libraries, with Legos and with the music and art program. The creative side of librarianship is only becoming more important.
I visited NZ this past fall and loved it. It would be an incredible trip for your boys – we didn’t make it to Hobbitton but heard good things about that and the LOTR tours.
January 28th, 2014 at 10:30 am
We’ll definitely have to go to Matamata/Hobbiton and various other film sites….the Unexpected Journey bluray the boys got for Christmas has a NZ travel documentary detailing all the film sites you can visit (clever, clever…) so they are all clear on their desired itinerary! We are going to try to go next year actually. It’s just a bit tricky to find a time, with their school and mine. I know we won’t hear the end of it until we go, though. 🙂
January 28th, 2014 at 10:50 am
Hi, Molly! Your trip out West is inspiring. I recently moved to Albuquerque and am enjoying exploring the state. The landscape is so much more colorful and dramatic than I expected. The national parks in southern Utah are definitely high on the list for future visits. Look forward to working with you this semester!
Darren
January 29th, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Thanks Darren! We undertook the trip with some trepidation, since it was the longest we’d ever made the kids travel.
The west really is an amazing landscape. I love New Mexico (and I regularly pine for blue corn tortillas and green chile sauce). The last time I was in NM was last spring for a quick trip with my husband (Albuquerque and Santa Fe).
Nice to meet you and look forward to working together!