Librarianship

Leigh Plummer, Class of 2016

Time at DePauw:

Leigh graduated from DePauw in 2016 with Art History and Classical Studies majors. During her senior year at DePauw, Leigh worked evening shifts at The Desk in Roy. In addition, she was the 2016-2017 Efroymsom Fellow and spent time with librarian Brooke Cox, working with digital collections and LibGuides. Leigh says that having conversations with the library staff at DePauw made her realize that her professional values lined up well with the field.

Further Education: 

After her Efroymsom Fellowship, Leigh moved to the Washington D.C. area to work on her MLIS at the University of Maryland College Park, which she completed in May 2019. She narrowed her choices based on price, reputation, opportunities (for internships, assistantships, extracurricular experiences), and location. She says that she appreciated the program's shift toward courses that emphasized Social Justice issues in librarianship. She was able to take a variety of courses ranging from general library science, to data analytics, to academic libraries seminars. Leigh felt the program has helped her to prepare for a long career in the field. 

Current Job:

Leigh is currently a Library and Information Specialist at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), working within the Knowledge Management team. One thing that has surprised her in this position has been the different budget demands that exist between non-profit research libraries, federal libraries, and university libraries. 

Additional Library Experience:

Before IFPRI, Leigh worked for the U of MD Libraries in preservation, where she had a great experience repairing books and paper from archival and special collections. That said, it also taught her that her future was not in library preservation. She also worked in the UMD libraries as a Liaisons Assistant, supporting the humanities and social sciences librarians. This proved to be another great opportunity, that taught her that she wanted to work in academic or research libraries. Leigh also interned with NOAA, which involved experience in a federal library. There, she learned about some of the bureaucracies that exist within the federal library structure. 

Bethany Bates, Class of 2008

Time at DePauw:

Bethany worked at Roy O. West Library for all four of her years as a student. She helped patrons check out materials, worked the circulation desk, and helped with processing. A DePauw librarian at the time, Mandy Henk, took her under her wing and encouraged her to pursue librarianship, making it seem like a promising and achievable career for her. In 2008, she graduated with a major in English Writing and a minor in Latin. She thinks DePauw did a great job at fostering a love of learning and ignited a passion in librarianship. 

Further Education: 

After graduation, Bethany went on to get her Masters of Library and Information Science at Dominican University, graduating in 2010. The university was in a convenient location and while Bethany wishes she'd taken more advantage of the advisors there, she appreciated the flexibility that the curriculum provided her. 

Current Job:

Bethany’s current job is Head of Public Services for Brandel Library at North Park University. Her primary responsibilities include staffing the library's front desk as well as facilitating events and outreach in the library common areas. What I love about my job is the people! Interacting with my staff, departmental team, and library patrons is so rewarding and endlessly surprising. Teaching is exhausting but extremely gratifying when you can see someone build confidence and competence before your eyes. 

Additional Library Experience:

During graduate school, Bethany started working at the Center for Research Libraries, a research collection of over 5 million volumes. She began part time as a stacks assistant and was promoted several times until she was running the department as Head of Stack Management. Following her time there, Bethany worked as the Database Coordinator for HistoryMakers - a national oral history video archive that recorded the stories of African Americans. 

Nicki Garces, Class of 1999

Time at DePauw:

In 1999, Nicki graduated from DePauw with double majors in Anthropology & Asian Studies. She worked in the Technical Services department of Roy O. West Library throughout her time in college, and had a good relationship with her supervisor. She wishes that DePauw had offered her more opportunities in community development. 

Further Education: 

Nicki received a Masters of Arts in Political Science and a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. Her interest in Library Information Services was formed out of a desire to have more diverse materials represented. She says that “For so long, many libraries and archives have little materials in their collections about minority groups. Having more robust collections is a way to preserve the histories and voices of such groups.”

Current Job:

Nicki is an Information Management Officer for the Consuelo Foundation. This is not a traditional library job, as she works for a private non-profit foundation. In this position, she takes care of the archives, library, records management, and communications. She’s also a grants manager for a pilot fund program. She loves her job because of its mission to promote the wellbeing of at-risk children, women, and families, which aligns with her values. It allows her to make a positive impact on the local communities in Hawai'i and the Philippines.

Additional Library Experience:

Prior to working for the Consuelo Foundation, Nicki was a UH Hamilton Library student assistant for the Philippine Specialist librarian - an opportunity where she learned about a variety of materials and where to acquire them in the Philippines. Additionally, she served as Resource Center Coordinator for the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i, where she supervised over 30 volunteers, and as the Hawaiian Historical Society Preservation Librarian. 

Amy Koester, Class of 2009

Time at DePauw:

Amy graduated from DePauw in 2009 with a major in English. She knew since eighth grade that she wanted to pursue library science, but DePauw provided her with new opportunities to do so. She participated in a custom library internship during Winter Term that involved her shadowing librarians in various roles. Following this internship, Amy became a student representative to the Library Advisory Committee.

Further Education: 

After DePauw, Amy received a Masters in Library Science from Indiana University. IU allowed her to explore different areas before she eventually decided on pursuing a career in public librarianship with a specialization in youth services. She wishes the classes had been taught more by practicing librarians, but appreciated the up-to-date curriculum.

Current Job:

Amy is currently the Learning Experiences Manager at Skokie Public Library. She oversees a department of nearly 30 people who provide events for all ages, hands-on learning spaces, and information and research services. She likes to think of what her department does as "supporting the community in all the ways they learn beyond our materials." 

Additional Library Experience:

Early in her career, Amy interned in Youth Services at the Monroe County Library in Bloomington. Following graduation, she was the children's librarian for a branch library in Missouri. She started at the Skokie Public Library working specifically in the youth department. Additionally, Amy recently served as the 2022-2023 president of the Association for Library Service to Children, which boasts over 4,000 members. 

Meredith Kostek

Time at DePauw: 

Meredith graduated from DePauw in 1997 with a major in History, with an emphasis on Jazz History, as well as  minors in East Asian Studies and English. While at DePauw, she never thought about being a librarian as a career, and only considered it long after graduation. 

Further Education: 

In 2000, Meredith received her Juris Doctor (law degree) from the University of Toledo, and later earned her Master in Library & Information Science from Indiana University in 2019. She enjoyed her classes and learned a great deal. As a non-traditional student, it was a very different experience. Meredith found the class variation fit in with her interests, including law librarianship, and completed an independent study that resulted in a published paper. She also had the experience of working as a graduate assistant, which better helped her understand academic librarianship.

Current Job:

Meredith is currently the Research, Instruction, and Engagement Librarian for Boley Law Library at Lewis and Clark Law School. She loves her job as a law librarian and thinks it's a great fit for her skills, creativity, and personality, something her career as an attorney never quite satisfied. She recently developed a legal research certification program for students that is a combination of video tutorial modules and live presentations. She believes this extra instruction is a great combination of research and technical skills that all graduating law students need in order to succeed as attorneys. 

Other Library Experience: 

Meredith's journey to becoming a librarian was not a standard one. She spent eight years as an attorney, and seven more as a stay-at-home parent before going to library school. She worked for a small county law library in Island County, WA prior to graduation from her MLIS. 

Anna Klump Pilston

Time at DePauw: 

Anna was a member of the class of 1995 at DePauw. She double-majored in Music Performance and Math. While she didn't work in DePauw Libraries, she spent time working in the Music History department, and ended up spending a lot of time in the libraries. Anna believes that there is "no knowledge that is not useful when you're a librarian!" DePauw allowed her to explore a variety of interests, and the kindness she experienced from her professors influenced how she interacted with students and patrons." 

Further Education: 

Anna completed her Master of Library and Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh. She found the program and faculty to be great, but wished she could have taken more courses in preservation and cataloging.

Current Job:

Anna works as the Branch Librarian at Landrum Public Library in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She supervises a staff who plan and implement programs at the library for all ages.

Other Library Experience: 

Before becoming a public librarian, Anna got her start as a reference librarian at a Penn State University campus. She served as liaison to the schools of science and engineering, performing library instruction and selecting materials. Later, she was a branch librarian at another Penn State campus, then was head of Acquisitions and Interlibrary Loan at Elizabethtown College. 

Amy Slowik

Time at DePauw: 

Amy is a 2004 graduate, with majors in Art History and English Literature. She worked in the Visual Resource Center (our former library space in Peeler) while at DePauw and also worked full-time in Roy O. West the summer after she graduated, getting a lot of hands-on experience with a variety of projects. 

One of her advisors suggested academic librarianship "as a way to stay involved in academia and have an intellectually stimulating career without the publish-or-perish and teaching pressures." 

She believes that DePauw was an excellent springboard for a career in librarianship, as it prepared her to be a good communicator and critical thinker. 

Further Education: 

Amy earned an MA in Art History/Humanities at University of Chicago in 2005 (the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities). She then received her MLIS at University of Iowa (getting a scholarship as a Digital Library Fellow) in 2009. 

Current Job:

Amy is the Manager of Borrowing & Circulation at the Russell Library, part of the Middletown (CT) Public Libraries. She loves "being on the leadership team of a large(ish) urban/suburban library. We're well-funded and situated in a progressive small city, so there's a lot of opportunity for innovation and creativity at my library. As a manager in public services, I get to spearhead initiatives like going fine-free, going green, going digital, and removing barriers to access for economically and socially-disadvantaged populations in my town."

Other Library Experience: 

Prior to her current position, Amy has served in a wide variety of roles and at a diverse group of libraries. She has been in a school and academic libraries, in addition to public libraries. "In all three types of librarianship, I've led initiatives to make the library accessible from throughout campus and from patrons' homes, which is challenging and fun. Librarianship today is very much about outreach, technology, democracy, and teaching."

Leah Plocharczyk

Time at DePauw: 

Leah had a Sociology major and a French minor - graduating from DePauw in 1997. She spent a lot of time in the libraries - particularly Roy O. West. She says that she would have loved if there been an undergraduate degree in library science, and believes that more students need to know that librarianship is a viable career path.

Further Education: 

After DePauw, completed an MA in Sociology from Florida Atlantic University, and then Master's in Library Science, from the University of South Florida. Leah did a hybrid program, where some classes met online and others met in person, and feels like that was the perfect arrangement for her at the time, as she had a full-time job. 

Current Job:

Leah is the Director of the John D. MacArthur Campus Library at Florida Atlantic University's Jupiter (Honors College) campus. In this role, she oversees all the branch library's operations. What has surprised her the most is "how versatile the field of librarianship is. I've met some interesting, talented, and smart people while working in this profession." 

Other Library Experience: 

Prior to her current position, Leah was a paraprofessional at FAU. It was her work there that led her to pursue her MLS and librarianship as a long-term career path. 

Ash Faulkner

Time at DePauw: 

Ash graduated from DePauw in 2009 with English Writing and History majors. During her time at DePauw, she worked at the circulation desk in Roy, shelving books - often working the closing shift. Ash says she's always enjoyed being at and working in libraries, particularly the "zen" of shelving. She chose the academic librarian path because it was a relatively low-stress, stable job  that allowed her time for both reading, researching, and writing. 

Further Education: 

After graduating from DePauw, Ash went on to receive an MLIS and MBA at Kent State, where she says a second graduate degree helps if you want some of the nicer academic librarian jobs. That said, Ash recommends pursuing a program that involves teaching experience if pursuing academic librarianship as you end up doing a fair amount of instruction, and her MLIS program was not focused on these aspects of the job.

Current Job:

Ash is a Business Librarian at The Ohio State University Libraries. She says that she enjoys how in academic librarianship, she gets to dig into "deep dive" reference questions; that nothing she's asked by grad students or faculty are easy "oh, it's here" kinds of questions. They're things where you have to dig into some literature, follow some bread crumbs, figure out if that data even exists, and where/how/if you can access it. 

Other Library Experience: 

Prior to her current position, Ash was a Data Librarian. She says that if you have any statistics or coding ability, Data Librarianship is the place to be in academic libraries. Many college libraries are desperately searching for good data librarians.

Courtney Hague, Class of 2008

Time at DePauw:

Courtney Graduated from DePauw in 2008 with English Literature and Global French Studies Majors. Although Courtney did not work at DePauw libraries, she had summer jobs at her hometown public library and completed volunteer work as a reading tutor.

Further Education:

Courtney received her Masters in Library Science from Indian University Bloomington in 2010. She says that she loved the on campus program at IU Bloomington, however it has changed somewhat in the last few years.

Current Job:

Courtney is a Youth Librarian at Daniel Boone Branch - St. Louis County Library. Her current position is heavily programming based, and a lot of what she does involves planning and presenting programs for children and families. She loves engaging with children and making connections with families!

Other Library Experience:

Prior to her current position, Courtney was briefly a Youth Librarian for the St Louis Public Library where she did a little bit of everything. Before that, she was a Youth Collection Development Librarian in Evansville, IN.

Kristin Briney - Class of 2005

Time at DePauw:

Kristin graduated from DePauw in 2005 with a double major in Chemistry and Computer Science. Her experience with DePauw Libraries included the research she completed as a Science Research Fellows student. During her time in school, Kristin realized that while she enjoyed science, she didn’t like being in the lab. This realization led her to her interest in science librarianship.

Further Education:

Kristin received a PhD in chemistry in 2010 and then a Masters of Library Science in 2013, both from UW-Madison. After finishing her PhD, she knew she wanted a career that would not only get her out of the lab, but would also allow her to continue doing something science and data related. The search for something with these specifications led her to science and data librarianship. Kristin really enjoyed her time completing a MLS at Madison, but she did state that it was more of a library school than an information school (which would have been better for her specific interests). That said, she was able to chart her own path through the curriculum and had good mentors and lots of great experiences which helped her land her first library job.

Current Job:

Kristin currently works as a Biology & Biological Engineering Librarian at Caltech Library, where she says that being at a science-focussed research institution has been a great fit for her and her background.

Other Library Experience:

Prior to her current job, Kristin worked as the Data Services Librarian at a public comprehensive university where she did research data support. She says that the functional role v. the liaison role operates differently within the library, but that she’s enjoyed both.
 

Rhys Weber, Class of 2016

Time at DePauw:

Rhys Weber graduated from DePauw in 2016 with a History Major and Political Science and Classical Studies Minors. Although Rhys didn’t work at DePauw Libraries during his time as a student, he completed a summer internship following graduation. His interest in libraries developed through his experiences in the Honor Scholar program, where he used the library frequently, and alongside his time in the History Department where he discovered his love of research.

Further Education:

After graduating from DePauw, Rhys went on to earn a Masters of Library Science from Indiana University (he attended IUPUI, but his degree officially says Indiana University). He graduated with his Masters in May of 2019. Rhys chose his discipline, academic librarianship, because it was the closest thing that he could find to Archival studies at the time (though IU now offers an official archical track). As for his choice of school, Rhys found that IU had a well-respected library program and completion through IUPUI was particularly affordable. While the program was good, Rhys did say that he missed having an in-person component and connection with professors that he had at DePauw.

Current Job:

Rhys currently works as an Archival Assistant at the IUPUI University Library. He finds that he loves archival processing. It's a job that requires research, data work, and other things that he quite enjoys. 

Additional Library Experience:

In addition to his current position, Rhys has completed several library internships. He has interned at Butler University, IUPUI, the Allen County Public Library, and, of course, DePauw University. He says that it's important to keep in mind that job hunting can be tough and it's important to be flexible. His current job began as an internship, and morphed into something bigger. 

Susan Pennington, Class of 1993

Time at DePauw:

Susan graduated from DePauw in 1993 with a major in English Writing and a minor in Sociology. While at DePauw, she worked at Roy O. West Library in the computer lab as a troubleshooter, and also occasionally helped design signage, fliers, and posters for campus. Susan explains that, "the atmosphere at Roy O. West was always one that [she] enjoyed." The staff was helpful, and the potential for learning and discovery fascinated [her]."

Further Education:

After graduating from DePauw, Susan first worked as a High School English teacher, though she would later go on to pursue graduate work in librarianship at Illinois State University (ISU). This was a certification program to become a school librarian for those who already possessed a state teaching license. Susan completed both in-person and online coursework to receive an endorsement. During the program, Susan learned the basics of librarianship as well as selection of materials geared specifically towards K-12 students. She enjoyed ISU's program immensely, and still keeps in touch with the fellow librarians she trained with, describing librarians as "a close-knit group who support each other.

Library Experience: 

Susan's educational background from her time at ISU, along with her experience as a school librarian, led her to serve on the board of directors for the Illinois Heartland Library System (the largest in the state of IL). Although she represented school libraries on the board, she also learned more about public, collegiate, prison, and professional libraries as a result. Susan says that her favorite part of being a librarian is that no two days are alike when you're helping your patrons! Her role as a school librarian also allows her room to continue teaching (she has a fixed schedule and sees 13 classes a week, to which she teaches lessons). Susan explains that her father used to tell her, "you don't have to know all the answers, but you need to know how to find them," a credo that has stuck with her during her professional career. As she puts it, librarianship is a wonderful career. 

Current Job:

Susan is the Library Media Specialist at Lincoln Magnet Middle School in Springfield, Illinois. 

Bruce Gay - class of 1986

Time at DePauw: 

Bruce Gay graduated from DePauw in 1986 with an English Literature major. Although Bruce never worked for DePauw Libraries, he was always a "bookish" kid, who found libraries to be a welcoming place. 

Further Education: 

After his time at DePauw, Bruce went on to earn a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Washington University in St. Louis in 1988. He then went on to teach for eight years. It was during this time as a teacher that he discovered his passion for library science. As he would take classes of students to both the Milwaukee academic and central libraries, he found himself envying the work of the librarians there. This experience led him to pursue a Masters in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1997. While he initially chose UW-Milwaukee because he lived there (distance learning wasn't much of an option for him at the time), Bruce found that the UW-Milwaukee program was a nice blend of philosophical and practical knowledge, from bookbinding to information theory, and the coursework fit well with his interest in public librarianship.

Current Job: 

Bruce currently works as the Director of the Waukesha Public Library in Wisconsin. Bruce explains that while, "the last several months have been unique and extremely challenging, [he] remains optimistic about the value of public libraries and their role in building community." 

Library Experience: 

Bruce has worked as the Director of the Milwaukee County Federated Library System (systems in Wisconsin manage library catalogs and delivery between municipal libraries). He has also worked as the Branch Manager and Technical Services Manager for the Milwaukee Public Library. Bruce found his work as Technical Services Manager to be particularly interesting, as almost all of it was behind the scenes.

Susan McKinney, Class of 1987

Time at DePauw

Susan graduated from DePauw in 1987 with a major in History and a minor in Computer Science. While at DePauw, she worked in the main library under librarians Lori Springer and Jill Gremmels. Her job was to help create databases to automate the circulation. 

Further Education

After DePauw, Susan went on to receive her MLS from the University of Illinois in 1989. At the time she applied, she was deciding between UI, the #1 library school in the country, and IU in Bloomington, IN. What sealed the deal was when UI in Urbana-Champaign offered her more money, and the Assistant Dean called to congratulate her on her GRE score within a week of her taking the test. 

Time at DePauw

Susan graduated from DePauw in 1987 with a major in History and a minor in Computer Science. While at DePauw, she worked in the main library under librarians Lori Springer and Jill Gremmels. Her job was to help create databases to automate the circulation.  Further Education After DePauw, Susan went on to receive her MLS from the University of Illinois in 1989. At the time she applied, she was deciding between UI, the #1 library school in the country, and IU in Bloomington, IN. What sealed the deal was when UI in Urbana-Champaign offered her more money, and the Assistant Dean called to congratulate her on her GRE score within a week of her taking the test.  Current Job Currently, Susan works as the library director at St. Joseph Township-Swearingen Memorial Library in Illinois. As the library director, she is involved in the local chamber of commerce and has been Treasurer for over 20 years! In addition to her library director position, Susan has also served on state library and library system committees, e-resource consortium board, and library system board.

Ted Baldwin, Class of 1998

Time at DePauw

Ted Baldwin graduated from DePauw in 1998 with a double major in Chemistry and Music Performance. While at DePauw, he worked one summer at the main library, shifting books, and working the reserves desk.

After a lab internship his junior year, Ted realized that he did not enjoy laboratory work and became uncertain about a career path in the sciences. He then discovered the field of chemical information and the specialization of chemical information offered with the MLS program at Indiana University. Ted stated, "I have found STEM librarianship to be an excellent way to develop practical skills in organization and management and to broadly apply my liberal arts education." 

Further Education

Ted did go on to receive his MLS from Indiana University with a Specialist's Certificate in Chemical Information. Ted chose IU because of its in-state location, his ability to apply his chemistry degree, and his knowledge of IU’s strong MLS program from his mother’s experience.

Ted also received a graduate assistantship from IU to assist with funding. He believes his chemical information focus gave him a great advantage in his job search and highly recommends pursuing a specialization in a marketable field. 

Previous Experience

Ted’s first five professional years were spent managing an Research & Development Information Center at Equistar, a major chemicals/polymers company. He credits Dr. Bryan Hanson in chemistry for introducing him to the deep information research in the sciences with a class road trip to the Lloyd Library located in Cincinnati. Ted explained that students in Dr. Bryan Hanson’s medicinal plants class performed extensive research for a medicinal plants research project. This, combined with his DePauw Library research, inspired him to pursue that level of research in his life career.

Current Job

Ted currently works as the director of Science and Engineering Libraries at University of Cincinnati. Within this role, he does collection development, instruction, liaison duties, management, outreach, and reference. While at this job, he built and co-managed the Research Data Services unit for 5 years. He is also involved in digital projects and special collections in STEM.

Amanda Weber, Class of 2017

Time at DePauw

While at DePauw, Amanda majored in Spanish and minored in education studies and mathematics. Although she did not work in the DePauw libraries, Amanda did volunteer at the Putnam County Library as a shelver. She also had two important librarian mentors while at DePauw–Tiffany Hebb and Kayla Flegal, who both assisted her in the library school process.

Amanda believes that the liberal arts education at DePauw allowed her to see that the library was a place >where she could bring all of her interests together in an interdisciplinary way. Specifically, she loved being able to use her Honor Scholar thesis, with Tiffany Hebb as her sponsor, to combine reading, education, and Spanish.

Further Education

Amanda went on to receive her MSLIS and School Librarian Licensure from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in December 2019. Amanda had applied to both Indiana University in Bloomington and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. However, she decided to attend UIUC because of their Center for Children's Books and the School Licensure program.

Amanda enjoyed attending the iSchool at UIUC. She explained that there were only two required courses. From there, students are allowed to choose various paths according to what area of librarianship they are interested in. Amanda later applied to the School Licensure program where she had to take some additional courses. Amanda stated, “There are many graduate assistantship positions available, and mine gave me a lot of awesome experience actually working in a library and interacting with patrons.” She also explained that although she enjoyed being on campus and being able to take classes in person, the iSchool also has a LEEP (online) program, which she took several classes through as well.

Library Experience

While in grad school Amanda was the School Collection GA for the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library. She enjoyed having the opportunity to work on collection development and helping patrons with projects related to children's literature. Additionally, she was a Library/Records Assistant at Facilities Information Resources where she dealt with old blueprints and other files related to campus buildings and infrastructure. She then helped to repair, scan, index, and make them available for people.

Current  Job

Currently, Amanda works as the teacher-librarian at Nathan Hale Middle School in Crestwood, IL. Because she is the only librarian in the building with a paraprofessional to help with checkout, shelving, etc., Amanda explained that being a school librarian involves doing a little bit of everything. She spends her time managing the library, teaching classes, and collaborating with teachers. Amanda loves being able to form relationships with students, help them to love reading, and work with teachers on interdisciplinary projects!

Taylor O'Brien, Class of 2013

Time at DePauw

Taylor is a 2013 graduate of DePauw who majored in English Literature and minored in Women's Studies. While at DePauw, she worked at Roy O. West for all four years and during her summers. She started her work in the circulation department before she transferred to interlibrary loan. She also spent a semester working with librarians in other departments including cataloging and acquisitions.

Further Education

When considering what career and graduate school she would like to attend, Taylor explained that her librarian mentors and jobs contributed to her decision to enter a career in librarianship. Among these opportunities included time assisting then Access Services Librarian Mandy Henk with the bibliography of her book, Ecology, Economy, Equity: The Path to a Carbon-Neutral Library, and shadowing reference librarians at DePauw. In 2013, Taylor began working towards her MLS degree at Indiana University.

When asked about her experience at IU, Taylor said that IU's Library Science program allowed for small class sizes and the faculty had great personal work experience to impart on students. She also explained that IU has a wide variety of opportunities for those seeking their own on-the-job experience in libraries.

Current Job

Taylor currently works at Putnam County Public Library in the area of youth services. Within the Youth Services Department, Taylor contributes to the Early Literacy programming, responds to reference questions, and manages the nonfiction collections for children and young adults. She spends much of her time socializing with children and caregivers, which includes a lot of playing and reading together. Taylor stated, “To me, librarianship is all about service to your community. Every type of librarian serves a different type of community, of course, but collectively, all of our work is very people-oriented.” Taylor specifically enjoys the three weekly storytimes that she does for the age groups of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Amanda McLellan, Class of 2005

Time at DePauw

Amanda Hartman McLellan graduated DePauw in 2005 as an art history major and a classical studies and religious studies double minor. Throughout her time at DePauw, Amanda worked as an ITAP intern. However, it was not until a conversation with her faculty advisor that she realized library work could be a perfect fit for her skills.

When asked about how her time at DePauw influenced her library career, she said that "DePauw was instrumental in my career pathway. The base of a liberal arts education set me up to be a critical thinker and to be curious, both highly valued skills in librarianship. The experience I obtained in ITAP paved the way for the technological role I have now. DePauw taught me leadership and empathy." Amanda wrote a book chapter about how DePauw prepared her for her career. The book is We Can Do IT: Women in Library Information Technology, and her chapter is titled, "Blending Liberal Arts and IT: Finding a Place for a Tech-Loving Non-Programmer." 

Further Education

When researching graduate schools, Amanda decided to do a campus visit for her top two choices. However, it wasn’t until she received a graduate assistantship that she decided to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

When asked about making a decision on a program, Amanda advised, "The biggest things to think about - what kind of librarianship interests you, does the school you're looking at offer classes in that type of librarianship, and how much debt would you take on." She also stated that UIUC is a great program. Amanda graduated in 2008 with her MLIS from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently completing an EdD in Educational Leadership from East Carolina University, est. 2021.

Library Experience

Amanda has held multiple library jobs including in the areas of reference and instruction, digital services, liaison, and collection development. Her first job was at a small community college library where she did a little of almost everything. She said the experience was fantastic and highly recommends working in a library before attending or while attending library school.

Current Job

Amanda currently works as the Assistant Director for Discovery and Technology Services at East Carolina University J.Y. Joyner Library. When asked about her current position, Amanda said, "I have been in my current role for less than a year; my boss retired and I applied for the vacancy. I love that I get to think about big picture problems and how to address them, and that I get to highlight the work my division does. I also love working with students, and that's something I miss with my position since I don't get to interact directly with students as much.

Brittan Nannenga, Class of 2005

Time at DePauw:

Brittan graduated from DePauw in 2005 with an Art History major and a Studio Art minor. She believes that the art history and studio art classes she took here taught her to analyze art, think critically, and consider creators and content - skills that have served her well professionally. She uses (and teaches) those skills daily in her work.

Further Education: 

After her time at DePauw, Brittan completed a graduate certificate in Museum Studes in 2007, and pursued an MA in Art History from the University of Illinois at Chicago, which she completed in 2008. After working in libraries, she went back and earned a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She chose UIUC for the library science program because it offers a highly-ranked online program. This allowed her to continue her full-time position, while attending classes part-time - making the cost of the degree more manageable. 

Current Job:

Brittan serves as the Head of Library Special Collections + Digital Services at the Flaxman Library at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In this role, she provides direction and oversight for the Flaxman Library Special Collections and Digital Services, which includes the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection, film and archival collections, and all digital assets and repositories. She works with a great team that helps develop and maintain these special and digital collections to support the teaching, learning and research activities on campus. 

Additional Library Experience:

Before starting her role at the Art Institute, Brittan served as the University Archivist at DePaul University. She loved that she was in a student-centered, teaching-centered environment, and was able to introduce students to primary source literacy. She also appreciated the collaboration with others and variety of work she got to do - including working with donors and alumni, teaching and providing reference to students, collection management, cataloging, systems work, and marketing/outreach.