Shelby began her long association with UND in 1965 as a student with a work-study position in the library. Shelby graduated from UND with a BS in Education in 1969, and continued working in the Library, while entering the Master of Library Science program at UND. In 1971, she became Head of Cataloging. A mere 25 years later she became the Head of Technical Services, as the Chief Cataloger in all formats, using OCLCMARC, MARCIVE, AACRII, LCSH, Dewey, LCC, Sears, and other tools and standards. NACO participant.
In the 1980s, as libraries were beginning to automate, the directors of UND’s Libraries (Chester Fritz Library, the Harley French Library of the Health Sciences, and the Thormodsgard Law Library) appealed to President Clifford, and received funding to automate the Libraries. Shelby partnered with Frank Slater, the Assistant to the Director of CFL, and together they led the automation of not only all UND Libraries, but libraries across the state. Soon, ODIN – the Online Dakota Information Network – was formed; today, it remains the primary support for library systems in academic and public libraries across North Dakota. Shelby has helped with library system conversions many times over the years, including the latest move to ALMA, the library system platform by Ex Libris.
Shelby has been active in local, state and national librarian associations and has worked with all the professional library companies and organizations. She is well-known and respected for her acuity, intelligence, and dedication to library services across the country. Her expertise and continuous desire to learn as much as possible and then some, along with her love of cataloging and libraries resulted in a 55 year career doing what she loved the most at the University of North Dakota.