Being a librarian often feels like being invisible. It’s rare that people know exactly what it is we do. Many people believe librarians are two-dimensional beings that exist to shush people or who get to camp behind a reference desk and read whatever they want all day. Sometimes librarianship can feel like a thankless job. No one sees the long hours spent on cataloging, book display creation, or acquisitions. No one sees the stress of patron-librarian interactions or the frustration of trying to keep library programs afloat. We often feel unseen in our struggles and in our work.
The God Who Sees Us
11/2024 – John Leonetti
Hope in the Midst of Uninvited Challenges
Sometimes our hopes and expectations are dashed; things we would not have chosen happen to us or our loved ones. Sometimes these things are consequences of our own doings. Other times, these uninvited, difficult things, such as changes to or in our jobs, issues with colleagues or patrons, problems in work or family relationships, unanticipated changes in our institutions, or unexpected health issues, seem to just happen.
10/2024 – Meredith Ader
Robert Oliverio – 5/2023
Describe yourself using a book title: Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church or Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock.
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? I love meeting patrons’ needs. Finding the exact item that someone needed is so satisfying.
Jennifer Ewing – 4/2023
Describe yourself using a book title: Sense and Sensibility
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? Having the exact book (piece of information) that a person wants.
Time is Running Out – 09/2022
My undergraduate college had a tradition of assigning secret pals to encourage one another with gifts and messages. One year my creative secret pal covered the door to my room with Time Magazine covers and a sign that read, “Time is running out…” I enjoyed looking at my door decoration as the end of the semester with term paper deadlines and final exams approached. The door decoration reminded neighbors in my dormitory of all the work they had to do.
Julie Russell – 08/2022
Describe yourself using a book title: Smart but Scattered
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? The best things change with any given day. I suppose that in itself is at the top of my list.
Caleb May – 07/2022
Describe yourself using a book title: There and Back Again
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? I love helping students and other patrons find the resources they need to be successful.
Linda Poston – 06/2022
Describe yourself using a book title: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (current covid environment and unexpected opportunities!)
What’s the best thing about being a librarian? Having such a variety of things I can learn, do, and share! As part of an academic community I have opportunities to collaborate with faculty and other departments, to attend stimulating presentations and author talks, to use assessment to make a difference for students, and to help create an inviting destination for connection and growth.