Skillman Library is a large space that consistently hosts lots of students, requiring a plethora of staff to support its operations. Here are some of the librarians you might – and should – meet when next studying and researching at the library:
Janna Avon: Digital Initiatives Librarian
Digital Initiatives Librarian Janna Avon has an “everything-in-the-kitchen-sink kind of job.” Her expertise ranges across tech assistance, digital humanities and developing digital accessibility materials in addition to educating and guiding students with digital project development, data management and visualization.
“If someone is trying to do something with tech and they don’t know how to do it or want help doing or haven’t figured out how to get to what they’re trying to do, I am a person that helps them get to that point,” Avon said.
One of the challenges to Avon’s position is its “reactive” nature when students remain unaware of the resources available in digital scholarship.
“I would really like students to know that digital scholarship services in the library are available to students,” Avon said. “So, if they are interested in working with tech, learning some tech skills, they are working on projects or they want to publish a website on it. All of these things are things that we are here to help with.”
Carla Lindenmuth: Cataloging and Serials Specialist
Cataloging and Serials Specialist Carla Lindenmuth has been at Lafayette for seven years this December. She had been working with just serials until last July when she was promoted to take on cataloging as an additional job.
“When I was in library school, I took some courses in cataloging and I always thought that’s what I would end up doing and be happiest doing,” Lindenmuth said. “Luckily for me, I have the opportunity now to do the cataloging for special collections.”
Lindenmuth’s work in serials included handling all of the continuing resources, online and print, that are continually published or updated.
Now, she enjoys cataloging materials – categorizing resources to make it easiest for students and faculty to find through online search.
“You get to think about how to describe the resource,” Lindenmuth said about the task. “Then, you get to design the subject headings so that if people are searching for certain keywords or certain topics, they’ll get this resource in their search results.”
John Clark: Data Visualization and Geographic Information System Librarian
Around 20 years ago, John Clark took a Visualization and Geographic Information System engineering class as a history major and nontraditional student at the University of Maine. As a 39-year-old humanities major in a class of 19-year-old civil engineers, Clark began learning the systems as Google Maps was in its early days.
These systems use data to analyze and display geographic information through maps. Now the Data Visualization and Geographic Information System Librarian at Lafayette, Clark spends much of his time teaching students the latest geographical systems.
“I noticed that change over the years and I started teaching it myself as a graduate student at Penn State and the classes started to become more disciplinary-centric,” Clark said of the geographic information systems.
However, Clark enjoys teaching the most.
“I like being in a workshop or in a classroom and working with students,” Clark said. “Everybody likes maps.”
Alana Danois: Circulation and Reserves Technician
The self-declared “Lost Book Whisperer,” Alana Danois has a knack for finding books when search terms come up empty. In addition to helping students find books, the Circulation and Reserves technician supervises the around 40 student employees in Skillman and Kirby libraries and set up the course reserves for professors each semester.
After working in the Somerset County Library System of New Jersey, Danois also had a stint as a service writer, handling communications for a large trucking company in Breinigsville, Pennsylvania.
“That was a very different environment for sure, but one thing I’ve learned is that customer service is customer service, no matter what that service may be or whom you are assisting,” Danois wrote in an email. “These environments have taught me a lot about interacting with different kinds of people – namely, that everyone deserves your time, your respect, and your patience.”
Kate Pitts: Operations, Communications and Assessment Manager
International Poetry Night, Drag Story Time, Finals Fairy, Banned Books Week: all of these events and more are under the purview of Operations, Communications and Assessment Manager Kate Pitts. In addition to running all of these events, and many others, Pitts handles all outside communication between the library and campus.
“Some of the things you’re planning two years in advance and some of the things you have to plan in a day because an opportunity pops up, or someone asks for something and you have to scramble so trying to find the balance between planning ahead, but also allowing room for spontaneity and responsiveness is is a pretty big challenge,” Pitts said.
For the longer projects, Pitts enjoys seeing the final result.
“Working on something for so long, being able to see people, 40 plus people, come and just have fun and feel represented or of part of something bigger, is really rewarding,” Pitts said.
