1.You’re just beginning to get to know the E.H. Little Library –what’s your background and how has it contributed to your work in the library?  

I’m tremendously excited to join the team here at the E.H. Little Library. Prior to coming to Davidson, I worked at the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) in Chicago, a consortium of academic libraries with a shared collection of specialized research materials. My early career was spent working closely with international subject specialists in identifying unique collections for scholarly access. I’ve had the good fortune to work with colleagues and peers across the globe in the preservation of knowledge resources. My background has led to a deep appreciation for the diversity of knowledge from different cultural perspectives, worldviews, and ways of knowing. I try to bring that to my work in identifying unique resources for research and teaching.

I’m excited that Davidson recently joined CRL, by the way, because this partnership opens up amazing opportunities for our students, faculty, and community. CRL’s collection includes more than five million volumes of research material, including more than 50,000 digital resources. CRL makes accessible thousands of newspapers from around the world, rich archival collections, and primary sources that significantly augment Davidson’s own impressive holdings. Interested in the Calvinist tradition in 17^th c. Geneva? The drawing of Iraqi boundaries after World War I? Perspectives on migration during the Partition of India? CRL has something unique for every researcher. 

2.While working on your library degree, which classes have been the most helpful? Will working in a library change your selection of future courses?

Obtaining my degree in Library and Information Science (LIS) became a goal during COVID as I realized the profound work libraries were doing in providing emergency access to information, combatting misinformation, and even providing basic needs for students struggling to maintain their status in college. While I have been working in the academic library field for more than 20 years, it became important to me to take a step back and undertake the important work of understanding the background to librarianship’s core values, and to develop a professional philosophy to further guide my work. 

I’m in the process of obtaining my MLIS degree from Dominican University and am having an absolute blast in my courses and work outside the classroom. One of the most enlightening classes to date has been on Information Divides, really digging in to the systems and motivations that are driving the divide between privileged and disadvantaged groups and societies in today’s information age. Now that I’m working at Davidson, I’m focusing my coursework on academic libraries and leadership, which has the advantages of both informing my present work and giving me a lot of useful case examples to draw from in class! 

3. What about the position of Assistant Director of Collections & Discovery interested you?

I’m a habitual highlighter when reading, and when I started outlining the roles and responsibilities of this position, I found I had nearly covered the entire posting with yellow highlights.

First, I love that Davidson Library leads with its values. These were front and center in the position description and shaped my entire view of what this position was about. The Library clearly has a vision and a direction, and I was excited to envision how the A.D. of Collections & Discovery could play a role in that. There were a dozen other criteria in the position that excited me, but most of all was the emphasis on relationships with teaching and learning partners across the college as well as with consortial partners. There was a clear recognition that Davidson has much to gain from working collaboratively with its partners in North Carolina, the Oberlin Group, the Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust (EAST), and other libraries in building and stewarding shared, open, and equitable collections. This is where I’ll be placing a lot of focus to ensure Davidson maximizes its investments.

4. Are there any projects you’re particularly passionate about introducing to Davidson?

There are two areas to which I’m paying attention for the future. One focus is on Davidson’s investments in open access and open knowledge initiatives. The library is already supporting faculty open access publishing through a number of transformative agreements with publishers. Davidson is also championing knowledge producers that are committed to open models of scholarly publication, such as Lever Press. I’m interested in finding unique “Davidson-sized” opportunities to expand access, facilitate innovative pedagogy, and shape the scholarly communication landscape through open knowledge.

The second area of focus is on providing more pathways to access to non-owned, non-licensed content. Davidson’s holdings are considerable, but the budget is finite. We must make challenging decisions all the time on what to purchase and what to put on hold. By building and activating our partnerships, we can turn to the network to provide access to significant content at the point of need. We already have the tools we need, we just need to leverage them. I already mentioned the EAST partnership. This network of institutions committed to retaining print monographs also has reciprocal lending agreements. By virtue of our participation, Davidson has access to 10+ million print items held by other participating libraries. It’s a highly effective network of trusted institutions.  

5. You haven’t been here long yet, but what has been your most memorable or surprising experience at Davidson thus far?

I knew Davidson was a well-regarded school, but I have been surprised by the number of conversations I’ve had with friends and colleagues who light up when I tell them where I’m working. I’ve had no fewer than ten conversations along the lines of “Oh, my cousin/neighbor/friend’s daughter went to Davidson! They had an amazing experience there!” Having been here just a few weeks, I can certainly agree with them. I’m finding the students, staff and faculty are–without fail–kind, generous, and just really good human beings.

6. What are three things you want Davidson’s community to know about you

1) I’m an amateur brewer, closet artist, and erstwhile stage performer. 

2) I’m a dedicated fan of the @DavidsonVB team. I flew home with them after my interview and considered it a good omen. Come join me for home games this year!

3) My dog Cooper, frequently seen around campus in the evenings & weekends, reeeally wants you to pay attention to him. 

You’re just beginning to get to know the E.H. Little Library –what’s your background and how has it contributed to your work in the library?

I am a native Carolinian–I say Carolinian and not North or South Carolinian because I’ve been traversing the two states my entire life. I received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from Clemson University and a Master of Science in Library Science from UNC-Chapel Hill. I held roles in the libraries at both of these institutions, and I sought out internships at Duke University and NC State University while pursuing my MSLS. All of my roles in libraries have been slightly different. Still, I have always had a passion for outreach and community engagement, whether that has been tabling to meet students, hosting workshops and events, or developing my skills in graphic design and marketing. Having the opportunity to engage in meaningful ways with the campus community is what drew me to this work, and I hope to continue doing so with the Davidson community.

What about the position of Library Outreach Coordinator interested you?

Ultimately, what drew me to this position was that I knew I could develop lasting and meaningful relationships with folks across campus. Outreach is about supporting and engaging with your community, and I felt confident that I was joining an organization where I would be supported so that I could pursue new and exciting outreach opportunities.

Are there any projects you’re particularly passionate about introducing to Davidson?

I am looking forward to launching collaborative library programs with student organizations, on-campus partners, and community partners. I am likewise excited about working on our capsule collections, which are the themed collections we have displayed in the library lobby, and supporting folks across campus who are interested in curating these collections.

You haven’t been here long yet, but what has been your most memorable or surprising experience at Davidson thus far?

My most memorable experience so far has been tabling on the first day of classes. Students were so excited to see that we were out there tabling just to hand out snacks and talk with them, and it made me happy to have such a successful first event.

What are three things you want Davidson’s community to know about you?

I am a home chef who likes to craft new vegetarian dishes.

I like going on walks through the woods. Not hikes; just walks.

I’m always happy to exchange jigsaw puzzles!

You’re just beginning to get to know the E.H. Little Library – what’s your background and how has it contributed to your work in the library? 

My usual joke when I talk about my professional background is that I’ve managed to do things that interest me *and* stay employed, which may only be true because (a) I’m a lifelong learner and (b) have been fortunate to find a professional home in higher education. I grew up in Virginia and have a BA and MA from UVA; I taught in middle and high school in between the two. My PhD, from Texas A&M, on early modern English literature and drama, culminated with my dissertation on Shakespeare and friends. My subspecialty in the material book and book history, maybe surprisingly, led me into digital humanities and project management, which led me into liberal arts college libraries. After working on the Early Modern OCR Project, I was the Mellon Digital Scholar for the Five Colleges of Ohio, a position in which I was helping small cross-functional teams imagine and develop digital pedagogical projects. This led me into my work as Digital Scholarship Librarian and Director of the Collaborative Research Environment (CoRE) at the College of Wooster, where I was a liaison librarian, developed a program for digital media creation, and taught a digital humanities course each spring. I’m excited to weave all of these threads together in my new role!

What about the position of Assistant Director of Digital Learning interested you?

If I’m honest, I was mostly interested in working with Davidson folks. I’d encounter a number of admirably smart and generous students, staff, and faculty in my time on the digital humanities/pedagogy/scholarship circuit, so I guessed that working with and learning from them could only be wonderful. So far I’m right. Tied up in that, too, is the opportunity to work among some impressive teams to shepherd the library toward “the library of the future.” It’s a unique opportunity to help shape a truly monumental enterprise.

Are there any projects you’re particularly passionate about introducing to Davidson?

I’m keenly interested in the intersections between “the material” and “the digital,” and collaborating with the Letterpress Lab and the Makerspace on workshops, for example, would be a great way to think with the community about those intersections. More generally, I’m excited to explore the ways in which we all are implicated in “the digital”: the overlapping frameworks for digital and information literacy, critical engagement with digital infrastructures via Davidson Domains, and digital humanities endeavors that live in and grow out of the library.

You haven’t been here long yet, but what has been your most memorable or surprising experience at Davidson thus far?

Both memorable and surprising: my new library colleagues composed and performed a song for Holly and me on our first day of work. It was a riff on “Hello, Dolly” and it was incredible.

What are three things you want Davidson’s community to know about you?

While I’m not myself musical, my Spotify history would betray a wide array of musical tastes: from “Karma Chameleon” to Kendrick Lamar, from EDM to EPMD, from Travis Tritt to A Tribe Called Quest. Although I’ve never done karaoke, I know the words to an embarrassing number of 80s and 90s pop, hip-hop, and (yes) country songs. (Oh! You asked for three things I *want* the Davidson community to know about me!)

I thrive when I’m expending creative energy. I’m a maker at heart. Often that’s expressed in my work designing workshops or building programs or just doing digital humanities. However, I also come from a family of (folk) artists and I am trying to earn the title “hobbyist woodworker,” though shop time is sparse these days, not least because…

… my two kids, Whitaker (3) and Avie (1) pretty much occupy all of my time. They’re hilarious and smart and they challenge me every day, and every second I get to spend with them and Catie, my wife, is a treasure.

1. You’re just beginning to get to know the E.H. Little Library –what’s your
background and how has it contributed to your work in the library?

I’m originally from Ohio, where I received a BA in English from Ohio University and
MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science) from Kent State University. I have
spent my career working in small academic libraries at liberal arts institutions; I love
working on smaller campuses where I can build relationships with students and
faculty and get involved in campus life. In addition to providing instruction,
reference, and collection development services in libraries, my duties have also
included being the university webmaster and college Moodle administrator. I enjoy
learning new skills and learning about new systems and software, and each of my
previous positions has allowed me to learn about something new that can help me
support library users, whether that is coding or learning theory or social media
content curation. I enjoy being a generalist and working across the curriculum and
the campus to improve learning, services, or whatever else.

2. What about the position of Instructional Designer interested you?

I chose to work in small liberal arts colleges because I enjoy having the opportunity
to do lots of different things in my job. During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time
supporting faculty who were teaching with Moodle, and I was interested in moving
more fully into the instructional design space. This position is perfect for me; it
allows me to do that without losing my connection to librarianship.

3. Are there any projects you’re particularly passionate about introducing to
Davidson?

I’m excited to start working to support OER on campus. I was thrilled to find a
position that would allow me to help faculty build courses around content that is
free, whether open textbooks or library resources. I’m also really looking forward to
working the Research, Learning, and Outreach team on instruction design

4. You haven’t been here long yet, but what has been your most memorable or
surprising experience at Davidson thus far?

Definitely being serenaded by members of the library at the end of my first day (to
the tune of Hello, Dolly). It was so fun and welcoming and a great way to start my
career at E.H. Little Library.

5. What are three things you want Davidson’s community to know about you?

I’ve lived and worked in higher education in both Ohio and Iowa, and they are two
very different states!

Although I’ve never lived in North Carolina, I had ancestors who did, although most
of them moved to other states by 1800. I’m planning to visit some places to do
some more intensive genealogical work. If you have recommendations, I’d love to
hear them!

I’ve spent most of my weekends so far visiting dog parks or the lake. If you ever
want to set up a doggy play date or take a kayaking trip, feel free to reach out! I
haven’t been stand-up paddleboarding yet, but it’s one of my goals for the summer.

1. You’re just beginning to get to know the E.H. Little Library – what’s your background and how has it contributed to your work in the library?  Please tell us about your current educational endeavor as well.

My background is varied. I grew up on a barrier island in Florida, so I’ve worked in several areas of the hospitality industry. I was originally an Art major at the University of Florida, ultimately graduated with a degree in Sociology and Education, and took a lot of history classes on the side. I taught Middle School Social Studies (and substitute taught at all grade levels), spent several years focused on my children as a stay-at-home mom, passed my licenses to work in Financial Advising, and later moved into Underwriting Case Management. When I had the opportunity to change careers and go back to school, I put a lot of thought into the aspects that I’ve truly loved about jobs, and researched career paths that related to my personality types, and when it hit me – Library Science – it felt like one of those facepalm moments. “Of course! Why did it take me so long to get here?” I’ve always been an avid reader (picture the kid who walked the halls with a book held in front of her face), but apart from that, I love planning, organizing, research, learning new things, and helping people. I feel like all of these are supported and encouraged in libraries. I am currently in my second semester of a Master of Library Science degree, through East Carolina University’s remote program, and every class I take is further evidence that I love this field. 

2. What about the Acquisitions & Collections Specialist position interested you?

In general, this position interested me because it is both very detail orientated and involves a lot of searching and organization, which is right up my alley. I get to satisfy my curiosity by perusing the books that come across my desk on subjects I might not have sought out on my own. I was also interested in it for the opportunity it gave me to gain quality library experience – with the library systems integration, cataloging, inventory projects and hopefully eventually what will probably be a giant project of prepping and storing the collection during a massive library remodel – I look at it all as an opportunity to grow! My husband told me the other day, “I’ve never met anyone who was more perfectly matched to their job than you.” I look forward to professional development opportunities and learning more about the “real world aspects” of the different areas that librarians can specialize in, as I work towards my own degree.

3. Are there any projects you’re particularly passionate about introducing to Davidson? I would love to be involved in some type of diversity audit of our collection. I think we’ll need to get through a few other types of inventory and conversion projects first, so we have a better starting point, but something to consider down the road. Prior to my arrival the Collections Strategies team had already discussed identifying local and BIPOC owned bookstores we could divert some purchases to instead of our larger vendors, and I’m currently researching and compiling a list to move forward with that, in addition to playing with some ideas to get our Main Street Books Browsing collection rotating more regularly.  I also think it would be fun to work with other teams to cultivate, purchase and then highlight in the lobby “mini collections” for students that center around current news issues or social trends; “adulting,” mental health, developing study skills, or even around some of the most popular subjects of classes taught here at Davidson.

4. You haven’t been here long yet, but what has been your most memorable or surprising experience at Davidson thus far?

My most surprising experience has been how peaceful it is here – my days fly by, and I go home content and mentally ready to be knocked over by my (very large) puppy and cornered by my 3 chatterbox kids the second I walk in the door. Although Covid/Omicron meant my first few weeks were a little different than planned – with most of the faculty/staff unexpectedly working remotely – as I slowly meet everyone I am so pleased by the welcoming atmosphere and overall Library vibe.

5. What are three things you want Davidson’s community to know about you?

I’m going to answer this question with some ice-breaker game type facts:

1. I love being involved in my “Women’s Adventure Club” – we’ve experienced yoga sessions with Llamas, navigating white water rapids after our guide was thrown out, hiking, archery, a “U-Pick” wildflower farm, game show nights, crafts, winery 5ks…anything that gets us out there and having fun together.
2. I’m a huge believer that anyone can connect, and age is just a number – so it doesn’t matter if you are a student worker, or think you have totally different interests than me, or are soon to retire – I would love to meet you or lend a helping hand!
3. Not only have my husband and I known each other our entire lives, but I can honestly say that I exist because of my Mother-in-law. You can ask me the story if we meet in person!