Tom Rink

Librarian/Information Professional

Tom Rink, a former police officer turned librarian, currently works as an Instructor for Library Services at Oklahoma's Northeastern State University (NSU) on the Broken Arrow campus and is the Resource Coordinator/Faculty Liaison for both the College of Liberal Arts as well as the College of Science and Health Professions. Tom earned his BA in Criminal Justice/Psychology from Michigan State University, his Basic and Advanced Peace Officer Certifications through the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training for the State of Oklahoma, and his MLIS from the University of Oklahoma.

Prior to academia, Tom worked as a police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he “booked” offenders on a regular basis. Ever the lifelong learner and feeling ready for a change, Tom went back to school to obtain his Master’s degree while he continued to work the beat full-time. He never really expected to utilize this degree while still employed at the police department (he was thinking about a “career change” all the way), but he was wonderfully surprised to be offered the opportunity to exercise his new degree to establish a library from scratch for the department in 1994. A specialized solo librarian was born. In this setting, Tom performed numerous roles covering every facet of professional librarianship to include: space planning analysis, strategic planning, budgeting, instruction, research, reference, technical services, and library management. Tom passionately exhibits and models the core values of integrity, excellence, creativity, leadership, and collaboration as he strives to promote the success and information literacy skills of all through the provision of exceptional service.

The Special Libraries Association (SLA) and the Solo Librarians Division of SLA were invaluable resources for Tom as he tackled this challenge straight out of library school. The novelty of his “gun-carrying’ librarian” persona/role created additional opportunities to speak/present at conferences and to be appointed to, and serve on, Advisory Boards/Committees for organizations seeking the specialized librarian perspective within the state. He retired from his 25-year law enforcement career in April of 2007 and began working as an academic librarian at Northeastern State University in November of 2007.

Tom is a very active volunteer and has been saying “yes” to serve in volunteer leadership positions for many associations and organizations for many years, SLA in particular.

Tom is a Past President of SLA (2017), a Past President of Beta Phi Mu, the International Library Science Honor Society (2021), and has received numerous honors and awards to include: a Library Journal "Mover & Shaker (2005), a Fellow of SLA (2005), inducted into the SLA Hall of Fame (2020), and a recipient of SLA's John Cotton Dana Award for lifetime achievement (2023).