Member Spotlight - Emily Bradshaw
August 25, 2025
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This week's ILA member spotlight features Emily Bradshaw. Emily is the Marketing Content Coordinator at the Helen Plum Public Library and a member of the ILA Marketing Forum.
We asked Emily to answer a few professional and amusing questions. Continue reading to find out more about Emily.
A little background on Emily
Emily Bradshaw is the Marketing Content Coordinator at Helen Plum Library in Lombard, Illinois. In this role, Emily manages the library’s social media accounts, email communications, and more, coordinating with library staff on content promotions and projects. She earned her MLIS and BA in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
How did you get your start in libraries?
During my undergrad coursework, I was studying to become a high school English teacher. One day, a high school librarian came to visit our class and talk about librarianship. It was a lightbulb moment for me that I kept thinking about well after graduation. After 2 years teaching high school English, I decided to go back to get my MLIS. I spent about 5 years as a librarian, and now I work in the Marketing Department at Helen Plum Library, and I feel like I’ve really found my place.
Best Advice you've received since starting your career in libraries?
Library marketing-wise, I think it would be that our “mundane" is someone else’s “fascinating.” Your community doesn’t work in a library and see what you see, so peeling back the curtain and simply being genuine are really powerful marketing strategies for connecting with people.
Any advice to newcomers working in libraries?
There are a lot of things you can (and will) only learn on the job and not in a classroom. It might feel like a lot at first, but so does any new job. The greatest thing about libraries is that they are staffed by passionate, knowledgeable people who want to help their communities and make the world a better place. Don’t be afraid to ask them for help - library people are the best people.
When and why did you become a member of ILA?
I’ve been an ILA member for just over one year. I wanted to be able to connect with fellow library marketers in Illinois and contribute my growing knowledge to others, as well as get ideas and inspiration from them, which I have!
How has being a member of ILA helped you professionally?
I have met some truly great people I would not have otherwise. Especially as part of the ILA Marketing Forum, where I’ve made connections and gotten inspiration from the fabulous work they are doing.
What is your proudest professional moment to date?
I was hired at Helen Plum six months before we opened a new library building, so I hit the ground running with the team, planning for our grand opening. We ended up welcoming over 5,500 visitors to the new library during our Grand Opening Weekend. We were all very proud (and tired!) after that event. I also take a lot of pride in our Instagram account, which I’ve grown by over 13,000 followers since I started 3 years ago.
Hardcover, paperback, e-reader, audiobook, or all?
I do them all! Though my favorite is a nice floppy, portable paperback.
Favorite authors?
It changes, but right now it’s Alix E. Harrow.
If you were stuck on a deserted island, what five books would you want with you to pass the time until being rescued?
Probably five of my comfort books. So: Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer, The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, Emma by Jane Austen, and The Martian by Andy Weir (because if he can survive Mars with a sense of humor, I can survive a deserted island!).
Cat or Dog?
Both!
Favorite film, podcast, or television show?
This also changes, but my most recent favorite show is Our Flag Means Death. My favorite movies are wide-ranging, everything from the Lord of the Rings trilogy to Mamma Mia! I’m also a Disney adult, so.
One person you would like to meet, dead or alive why?
Lin-Manuel Miranda comes to mind because not only is he a genius, but he’s also just a nerd who gets genuinely and unapologetically excited about stuff, and I feel like we would have a fun and fascinating conversation.
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