Angela Semifero

Angela Marie Semifero (born September 23, 1980) is an up and coming children's librarian and currently holds the position of Deputy Director and Head of Technical Services at the Marshall District Library in Marshall, MI. She is a well-known speaker and has presented at such events as the Michigan Library Association Spring Institute, the American Library Association Annual Conference and the Michigan Library Consortium. Ms. Semifero is a self-proclaimed Buffy enthusiast and is very active in the realm of social networking and Library 2.0, in particular MySpace and Gaming.

Ms. Semifero is active in the 3-D virtual reality, SecondLife, where she is known as Semife Roar. In January 2007, Semife gave a presentation on MySpace in the SecondLife sim known as Cybrary City, part of the InfoIsland Archipelago, owned by the Alliance Library System.

Biography

A native of Waterford, MI, Angela Semifero spent part of her childhood living in Naples, Italy. She graduated from Michigan State University in 2002, holding a B.A. in English before achieving a M.L.I.S. from Wayne State University, School of Library and Information Science in 2005.

Presentations

*“Now Showing: Movies in the Library” MLA Spring Institute Big, April 2005
*“Children’s Reference” MLA Spring Institute, April 2005
*“Right to Know or Right to Censor” MLA Annual, October 2005
*“Teen Services” Beginning Workshop, June 2006
*“Introduction to Reference and Customer Service” Lyon Township Library, June 2006
*“Blogs, Chat, and Social Networking: A Parent’s Guide” East Lansing Public Library, September 2006
*“Tween the Pages” Woodlands Library Cooperative, October 2006
*“Blogs, Chat and Social Networking: A Parent’s Guide” Jackson District Library, January 2007
*“Myspace is Your Library's Space: Reference, Programming, and Promotion” Second Life Virtual Presentation, Michigan Library Consortium, January 2007
*“R U a Noob?: Bridging the Gap Between Boomers and Gamers” Michigan Library Consortium, February 2007
*“YALSA Teen Tech Week Panel” Second Life Virtual Presentation, Chicago Public Schools, March 2007
*Upcoming “Blogs, Chat, and Social Networking: A Parent’s Guide” Capital Area District Library, May 2007
*Upcoming “Serving Next Generation Users: Patrons ages 12-40” Michigan Rural Libraries Conference, May 2007
*Upcoming “Myspace and Social Networking for Libraries” Kent District Library, August 2007
*Upcoming "Myspace is Your Library's Space: Reference, Programming, and Promotion " Nebraska Library Commission, August 2007
*Upcoming “Social Networking” Woodlands Library Cooperative, September 2007

Publications and projects

*Voice of Youth Advocates (Book Reviewer) 2004-present
*“Safety First Storytime” Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning 2005