Jared Nistler, a 2020 Master of Library and Information Science graduate, recently was recognized as the Federal Librarian of the Year. 

The award, announced by the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK) through the Library of Congress, celebrates federal librarians who have developed innovative ways to serve and meet the nation’s information demands.

A senior systems librarian at the Ralph J. Bunche Library in Washington, D.C., Nistler supports the 70,000 employees in the U.S. Department of State. He was nominated by fellow librarians who recognized his commitment to user experience and his management of library service platforms.

Nistler specifically was recognized for his work improving user accessibility. During a time when State Department employees had to be at their physical desk in order to access library materials, he saw the need to create a new system to empower patrons with information, no matter where they were in the world.

“You want your library systems to be as accessible, seamless and smooth as possible,” he said. “You want the patron to be able to discover something, click access and then have it open and have that all be very quick and frictionless.”

Access to information while working for the federal government requires levels of security and overcoming challenges with swiftly obtaining news and resources. Nistler and his team faced this challenge and worked to create a smooth patron experience for an organization with over 250 posts around the world.

Nistler also has secured more competitive pricing from vendors to optimize the library’s limited resources. He built relationships with key stakeholders within the department to understand their information needs and what existing infrastructure they could use. 

Since this new information system was implemented at the State Department, patron engagement has increased by 95 percent – an amount that during a period of federal budget cuts has allowed Nistler and fellow librarians at the Bunche Library to communicate their vital role in the State Department and diplomacy.

”In recent months, every office in the department has needed to prove their value and how they make an impact on advancing the department’s strategic priorities,” Nistler said. “Communicating the library’s critical role, visually and with data, has been incredibly important.”

With a computer science background, Nistler was not always drawn to librarianship. After serving seven years in the Army, Nistler attended the University of Utah and worked at the J. Willard Marriott Library there. Working in special collections, where he preserved historical archives, he knew he wanted to apply computer science toward work that helps people. 

“I would have a person’s entire life in a box and it was on me to make sure that that was preserved,” he said. “[It was] just empowering [to have] this sort of connection to a cultural, historical artifact.”

He connected with the library’s mission to provide resources to underserved communities and better serve the most vulnerable populations, and that led him to pursue his MLIS at the Information School.

Five years into his career as a federal librarian, he credits his time at the iSchool for developing the core skills and knowledge required to succeed in his role.

“I was fortunate enough to work with Dr. Sarah Ketchley and was introduced to the digital humanities. The intersection of computational methods and the humanities really resonated with me and it is more relevant than ever, today.

“I also took a class on information behavior, which transformed how I view patrons and how they interact with our services and library systems,” he said. “That was transformative for me.”

Today, Nistler is involved in the iSTAMP program, mentoring current MLIS students and being reminded of projects and classes from his time at the iSchool. He said his MLIS coursework is constantly relevant to his job. 

As technology in the library continues to change, Nistler and fellow librarians at the Bunche Library are working to implement machine learning to audit their physical collections. Personally, he also wants to start sharing more about his work – speaking at conferences, making blog posts and posting code on GitHub to help other librarians solve problems. 

“I crave those challenges, those projects, and getting stuff across the finish line and then having a big impact,” he said.