For generations, librarians have been informing and supporting their communities, enabling research, advancing corporations, and making a difference in schools and community organizations by making information accessible.
Now, thanks to Jennifer Borrell ’06, a tile honoring their contributions will hang in the heart of Morgridge Hall, the new building for the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Borrell came to the University of Wisconsin-Madison after pursuing a career in communications. Her experience working in libraries throughout high school and college and her love of libraries brought her to the Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program.
When she entered the program, she planned on becoming a children’s librarian. However, she fell in love with classes discussing indexing and the organization of information and discovered she could follow a non-traditional path.
“There’s just so much information out there and if it isn’t organized in any way, it’s like walking into a room where there are just papers all over the floor,” says Borrell.
This journey led her to become a taxonomist, a professional who organizes information into categories. Throughout her career, she has worked for prominent companies such as Sears, Motorola, Grainger, and Etsy.
In today’s information-rich world, taxonomists play a crucial role in maintaining organization and clarity. When you shop online, a taxonomist is the one who creates the categories you browse. Taxonomists not only create the categories you browse, but also come up with filters to narrow down selection within a category, like size, color, or material. Without their expertise, shopping on websites like Etsy or eBay would be far more challenging.
Despite taking a non-traditional path, Borrell is still a passionate advocate for librarians.
“Librarians in general are so important. You can go into a public library and the services they are providing are like no other. There’s just no place like a library,” says Borrell.
Public libraries are among the few places where anyone can spend time without financial cost. They provide free internet access and computers, literacy classes, cultural events, and a variety of other programs, all at no cost.
Because of her appreciation for librarians, Borrell was inspired to honor their contributions to the world when she made a gift to The Badger Effect, a campaign highlighting the impact of collective giving where donors can inscribe a tile on a donor wall within Morgridge Hall.
Borrell’s inscription will read “For All The Librarians-Jenn Borrell.” Thousands of students, alumni, faculty, staff and visitors will walk past the donor wall in the new building and it’s prominent visibility inspired Borrell to make her inscription one that will serve as a reminder of the value of librarians.
“Librarians are the people out there just grinding it out and this is a gift on behalf of all of them,” says Borrell. “I just want people to walk past it and think ‘yeah, libraries are awesome and librarians are amazing,’” says Borrell.
Borrell joins hundreds of donors who have also made contributions to join The Badger Effect. Their contributions will be displayed on a donor wall that visually represents the ripple effect of the CDIS community when we come together. The effort is about more than a donation, it’s about leaving a legacy that inspires future generations of Badgers.
Learn more about The Badger Effect.