Fittingly, the motto of Anthony Loum's ('97) school in his native Gambia was Nil Desperandum, "Do not Despair." Loum has taken the skills and knowledge he gained on his journey from Gambia via Seattle and the iSchool all the way to Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), where he is the Adult Services Coordinator for the fifth largest library system in the country. Since 2004, he has been setting the strategic vision and coordinating adult services system-wide for BPL. His perseverance and creativity has earned him accolades as the 2006 New York Times Librarian of the Year for Brooklyn, and most recently he was selected as the 2010 winner of the Zora Neale Hurston Award by the American Library Association, in recognition of his work with a partnering agency "African Voices" promoting African American literature in Brooklyn.

Loum's path to Public Libraries was indirect. His experience working in the Libraries at the UW as an Undergraduate Student Assistant led him to pursue a paraprofessional role, with no success. Undaunted, he chose to volunteer, which led to a job in an Academic Library and eventually his Master's in Library Science. In 1999 while at a National Conference of Black Librarians (Black Caucus of the American Library Association - BCALA), he impressed BPL enough to be offered a job on the spot as an Assistant Branch Librarian.

"The role of Public Libraries has really changed," said Loum. "We are no longer just a depository of books, we provide the widest array of services to the community."

"With my background, I brought the skills they needed. The community needed technology and literacy programs. I developed various computer training classes and attracted people from all over Brooklyn." His patrons would often come back to tell him how his classes on interviewing and resume writing helped them find jobs.

While at the iSchool, Loum found support from faculty like professors Terry Brooks and Raya Fidel, Loum's Academic Advisor. "Raya was very encouraging. [Professor Emeritus] Spencer Shaw helped build camaraderie."

Loum's struggles to establish himself have also driven home the importance of self-advocacy for minorities in the field. "I am a member of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, and from 2007 until 2009, I was the president of the New York Black Librarian Caucus. We have affiliations with the other ethnic organizations as well. I try to recruit and encourage minorities to come to library school."

"By recounting my experiences, I have been successful recruiting people from the paraprofessional ranks and I act as a mentor for them. It's important to have librarians who reflect the demographics of their communities."