Describe your current position:
Reference and Instructional Librarian; Coordinator of Writing and Research Center, Tompkins Cortland Community College
Educational Background:
BA Cornell University 2003; MLS Rutgers University 2009
What is most interesting about your current position?
Finding effective ways to integrate research instruction, information literacy, and writing tutoring.
What has been your biggest professional challenge?
Finding my first job! I graduated during the great recession and jobs were scarce. I worried I would never begin my career as a librarian.
What was your background before becoming a librarian?
I taught GRE and GMAT classes for Kaplan, worked as a teaching assistant in special education, and had a brief stint as a political organizer.
What would you be doing if you weren't a librarian?
Private tutoring or academic coaching.
What is the most interesting issue in librarianship today?
Teaching information literacy in an age of social media and fake news.
What are you most proud of?
My son Oscar.
What other organizations are you involved with?
I'm the Treasurer for the Fall Creek School Age Program.
What advice would you give to a new librarian?
Develop your teaching and/or tutoring skills. Teaching students/patrons to make sense of and better use the abundant information at their finger tips will continue to grow in importance.
What software/web tools do you use regularly?
Little besides web browsers and Microsoft Office. There is probably a lot of good stuff out there I need to learn to use.
Favorite social media platform:
Instagram; it's the most positive and least likely to stress me out.
What do you do to relax?
Hiking, running, watching basketball, reading, seeing live music
What is the most daring thing you've ever done?
I ended up in a Romanian soccer riot once.
What would you like to learn?
Anything I don't know!
Is there anything about you that others would be surprised to know?
I can stand on my head and juggle flaming torches (but not at the same time ;-)
Thank you Eric!
