Shush-Free Zone - Where librarians get loud!

In this episode of the Shush-Free Zone host Dawn Brushammar talks with Barisa Abdifatah, a knowledge management consultant, educator and certified knowledge manager, about the strong connection between librarianship and KM.Topics include reference interviews, taxonomy, ontology, research and information literacy and they also explore the knowledge that doesn't fit neatly into a database: tacit knowledge, conversations, communities of practice and the relationships between people.And because this is the Shush-Free Zone, Dawn and Barisa talk about why librarians are much more than people who organize books, the problem with “best practices,” and translating meaning across cultures. And of course the usual lightning round questions. About Barisa: Barisa Abdifatah is the Director of Knowledge Management at STRATactical International, where she drives strategy, operations, and client solutions that deliver measurable impact. She applies proven KM practices, such as Knowledge Cafés, Knowledge Transfer and Retention, Communities of Practice, and Organizational Network Analysis to drive collaboration, innovation, and better decision-making. She also recently joined the KMI CKM Instructor Team, in addition to George Mason University ODKM co-facilitator team, and Northern Virginia Community College ESL Instructors. With over twenty years of global experience in academia and professional settings, Barisa has worked as an educator, administrator, translator (English/Arabic), and librarian. She is passionate about building people-centered KM frameworks that unite process and technologyfor sustainable value.Barisa holds a Bachelor's in English Language and Literature and a Master's in Library and Information Science. She is a Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM), Certified Knowledge Specialist in Organization Development (CKS-OD), Certified AI Manager (CAIM), certified educator with a Certificate for English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), and upcoming Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.Barisa Abdifatah, CKM, MLIS | LinkedInUnlocked by Madelyn BlaireRheminiscing by Tony RhemBlack Voices in KM

In this episode of Shush-Free Zone, host Dawn Brushammar talks with Alison King, career coach, founder of King Career Services, and creator of Leaping Librarians.Alison shares her own journey from academic, public, and school libraries into corporate copy editing and what she has learned from helping other librarians make their own career leaps. They talk about recognizing the transferable skills librarians already have, translating those skills for employers outside the profession, networking without feeling awkward, and figuring out what you actually want to do next.Whether you're thinking about leaving librarianship, exploring a library-adjacent career, or simply wondering what else your library skills could do, this conversation is full of practical advice and encouragement.About Alison: Alison King is a career management coach who helps librarians write the next chapter in their careers. She holds a master’s degree in Library & Information Science from Drexel University and worked in academic, public, and school libraries for over 10 years. In 2022, Alison took a leap and transitioned from school librarian to full-time corporate copy editor, all while building her own business (King Career Services/Leaping Librarians). She is one of only 76 Nationally Certified Resume Writers (NCRW) in the USA and makes it a point to learn one new thing every day to help her clients. Alison is on a mission to help librarians and LIS workers take the leap to achieve their most ambitious career goals!Related Links: www.linkedin.com/in/alisonking100www.kingcareerservices.com

In this episode of Shush-Free Zone, host Dawn Brushammar is joined by Nancy Groves, Chief of Digital Strategy at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya.Nancy's career has taken her from library school to CNN, NPR, the United Nations Library, global social media leadership, and now overseeing the digital strategy that helps communicate some of the world's most important environmental issues.Nancy shares how the same core principles of librarianship such as organizing information, understanding user needs, building trust, and making knowledge accessible continue to guide her work on a global scale. Sharing many anecdotes from her unique her career path, Nancy highlights how asking "What do people actually need?" transformed her career.Nancy also reflects on volunteering for opportunities before they officially existed, learning through curiosity, embracing international careers, and why librarians should never underestimate the value they bring to organizations.If you've ever wondered where a library degree can take you, this conversation is a powerful reminder that those skills can help inform decisions that affect millions of people around the world.About Nancy Groves: Nancy Groves is part of the senior communications team at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, where she leads digital communications strategy focusing on social media, web, knowledge management and digital transformation, multilingualism, and internal communications for the organization. She manages a team of 25 personnel, overseeing online coverage and editorial support for major international events including sessions of the UN Environment Assembly, negotiations towards a treaty on plastic pollution, World Environment Day, and global advocacy campaigns on climate, pollution and biodiversity.Prior to joining UNEP, Nancy spent 15 years with the Department of Global Communications at UN Headquarters in New York, where she conceptualized and led the Organization's multilingual social media strategy, supported Secretary-Generals Ban Ki-moon and António Gueterres and their spokespersons on digital and crisis communications, and organized live-streaming coverage of high-level UN events, including the UN General Assembly's first social media zone. She started her UN career in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library where she responded to questions from diplomats, journalists and the general public and started the first UN blog, called UN Pulse and the UN’s revamped intranet called iSeek.Her earlier career included research and editorial roles supporting broadcast newsrooms at CNN and NPR in Washington, DC. along with part time work at public libraries and community colleges in the DC area.Nancy holds a Master's degree from College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland-College Park and a double Bachelor's degree in English and French from Luther College.

In the first episode of Season 2, host Dawn Brushammar is joined by librarian, researcher, author, and technology evangelist Ole Olesen-Bagneux for a wide-ranging conversation about knowledge organization, metadata, semantics, and why library and information science is more relevant today than ever before.Ole shares how a fascination with rare books, computers, and organizing information eventually led him from Library and Information Science into enterprise data, metadata management, and AI. Along the way, he explains why the semantic foundations of organizations already exist, why metadata isn't something you simply build from scratch, and why understanding context may be the missing ingredient in many AI initiatives.About Ole: Ole Olesen-Bagneux is a librarian, researcher, author, and internationally recognized thought leader in metadata management, enterprise data architecture, and AI. He is Vice President and Chief Evangelist at Actian, where he helps organizations modernize their approach to data intelligence, metadata, enterprise search, and knowledge discovery. Before joining Actian, he held leadership roles in enterprise architecture and data strategy. Ole holds a PhD in Library and Information Science from the University of Copenhagen and is the author of The Enterprise Data Catalog and Fundamentals of Metadata Management, both published by O'Reilly Media. His work bridges traditional library and information science with modern data management, knowledge graphs, and enterprise AI. Connect with Ole:LinkedIn: Ole Olesen-Bagneux on LinkedInActian Leadership Profile: Actian Leadership ProfileSubstack: Ole Olesen-Bagneux | SubstackBooks mentioned: The Enterprise Data Catalog — Ole Olesen-BagneuxFundamentals of Metadata Management — Ole Olesen-BagneuxBridging Knowledge, Data & AI — Joseph Hilger, Lulit Tesfaye, and Zachary Wahl

Season 1 of The Shush-Free Zone is officially wrapped and in this special bonus episode, host Dawn Brushammar looks back at the conversations, career journeys, and unexpected paths that shaped the first season.When Dawn started the podcast, the goal was simple: challenge the outdated stereotype of librarians as quiet people who only work with books.Librarianship has always been about solving problems, connecting people with knowledge, organizing complexity, and helping others find what they need.Over 12 episodes, Dawn spoke with librarians and information professionals working across communities, knowledge management, leadership, coaching, AI, semantics, ontology, public health, technology, and beyond.In this season finale, Dawn reflects on the common thread she discovered across all of these stories:Information professionals have always been doing future-facing work.Dawn also shares her own year in review — from building her independent consulting business and navigating Swedish bureaucracy, to working on semantic modelling projects, hosting and chairing KMWorld Europe, facilitating knowledge communities, mentoring, and exploring what comes next.Plus, because every guest had to answer Dawn's lightning round questions, she finally turns the tables and answers them herself.