Interview Post: April Hathcock

Biographical

Name?

April M. Hathcock, First of Her Name

Current job?
Scholarly Communications Librarian at NYU

How long have you been in the field?
5 years

How Do You Work?

What is your office/workspace like?

I used to work in a tiny cubby and was promised a bigger office one day, but wasn’t holding my breath on it. (Real estate is always at a premium in NYC, even at work.) When one of my colleagues left to go on to bigger and better things, I immediately put in my bid for her office. So glad I did. Now I have space to work and meet with students, faculty, and staff in consultation. As for decor, I’m very much a functionalist/minimalist. I’ve been in that office for almost a year, but it still looks like I just moved in.

How do you organize your days?

Each day starts with email. So much email. There are usually several meetings spread throughout the day and throughout campus, so I try to get as much email done before I start heading out for those. I always stop and take time for lunch, though. Girl’s gotta eat. When the weather is nice, I eat outside in Washington Square Park and take a moment to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. In between email and meetings, I check in on Twitter here and there and do some research and writing for my own academic work.

What do you spend most of your time doing?

I do a lot of consultations. These can be in-person, though most often they involve, yep - you guessed it, email. I read, write, and edit a lot of contracts. And before you start thinking that sounds really boring, let me just stop you right there. It’s the best fun ever.

What is a typical day like for you?

A typical day starts a little later than most since we don’t get going too early at MPOW. I roll in a bit before 10, start hacking away at the emails, run to a few meetings, grab lunch in the park while checking Twitter, work on more emails, do an in-person consultation or two, maybe squeeze in some time in the afternoon for reading some articles or working on some of my writing projects. I usually leave around 5:30.

What are you reading right now?

For fun, I’m reading Murder in Time by Julie McElwain. It’s pretty good. It’s about a modern-day FBI agent who travels back to 1815 and tries to solve a murder. She faces all these cultural and historical roadblocks, like, you know, lack of forensic technology and presence of rampant sexism. As of my writing this, I’m taking a break from my social justice reading because combined with current events it was getting me down. I usually read a lot of stuff having to do with critical race theory and intersectional feminism, though.

What's the best professional advice you've ever received?

Mama and Daddy Hathcock: “Don’t ever expect anyone to just give you what you deserve. You have to make sure you demand it from them. This world isn’t out to help you. You’ve got to help yourself.”

What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?

I go to a lot more meetings than I ever thought possible. And I worked as a corporate lawyer before this! Academic librarians definitely have lawyers beat on the meetings.

Inside the Library Studio

What is your favorite word?

What is your favorite word? Abacaxi. It means “pineapple” in Portuguese. Also, pamplemousse. It means “grapefruit” in French. I have a thing for languages and for fruit, obvs.

What is your least favorite word?

Granular and granularity. It’s eased up now, but there was a time a year or so ago when I swear I heard that word every hour on the hour. So annoying.

What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?

My great-grandfather was an electrician. I’d love to try that. Though I’d probably fry myself so maybe I shouldn’t.

What profession would you never want to attempt?

Window-washer. I’m afraid of heights.

Everything Else

What superpower do you wish you had?

Telepathy. (Cue evil laughter).

What are you most proud of in your career?

That I’m doing something I love and making sure that I get what I deserve for it.

If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.

I’m learning, but I often make the mistake of trusting people who don’t have my best interest at heart. Sadly, not everyone cares as much as you think. You gotta be careful out there.

When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?

Reading, eating, wandering the city, or watching Netflix.

Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

Jennifer Brown at Columbia. Speaking of which, I gotta hit her up to see if she wants to grab lunch one of these days...

April tweets at @AprilHathcock. Although she's inspired more than one post, this is actually the first one she's written for Letters to a Young Librarian. Hopefully not the last.

My Journey So Far, Or 500 Posts and Counting

It's so hard for me to believe that this is the 500th post on this blog. It all started years ago because I got angry, and that fact hasn't really altered, but so much else has changed. Here are some things that I've notice along the way:

1. It's okay to get angry, but I need to do something with my anger. I used to think it was useless to get angry, even in the midst of my ire. I also know part of my reticence to show anger had to do with the inescapable socialization that women are supposed to be nice. It's okay to get angry, but more to the point: it's important to get angry. Being silent can be seen as agreement, so taking a stand is important. I've come to see speaking up as part of my job, both at my place of employment and in the profession in general.
2. There are like minded people everywhere, just not always right next to me. Writing hundreds of posts, tweeting like a maniac, and generally being myself has brought so many amazing people into my life. Of my closest friends, people who I consider not just friends but family, the unmistakable majority of them are people I met through social media and through blogging. When I started this blog, I was definitely working with some great people, but beyond having "library" or "librarian" in our job titles we didn't have a lot in common. All of that changed over the course of this blog.
3. Mistakes are the best learning opportunities. I never set out to waste time or flub a project, but I can tell you I've learned more from my mistakes than anything else. Best of all, I've learned that being open about my mistakes can save other people a lot of headache and heartache. There were times that I ran events where it almost seemed the staff outnumbered the patrons. Then there was that book review blog we tried to start, for and by the alum of a former school. The blog posts that fell flat. The time I unknowingly offended someone I respect and was called out for it. These were valuable experiences. I do what I can to avoid repeating mistakes, but I'm glad I've had the opportunity to learn.
4. Being vulnerable and being human are the best way forward, even though it might not seem that way at the time. There's that great Oscar Wilde quote, "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." At first it sounds so ridiculously trite that it should be ignored, but I think it sounds like a cliche because it's so very true. I was never milquetoast or bland, but writing this blog has helped me find and strengthen my voice. I've also been able to find my passion within librarianship. 
5. I have to keep listening. I don't know everything. Yes, I've reached this point in my career that all my mouthing off has started to pay off. I get invited to give talks and asked to write things. I'm currently sitting on two invitations to write books (neither of which I have time for right now, but both of which I want to pursue eventually). Despite all this, I am still and forever learning and growing. Everything from minor issues like new technology to major concerns like a learning theory I'd embraced being called into question. I know I wouldn't be able to continue on this path if I hadn't been writing this blog.

Thank you for whatever part of this journey you've seen, and thank you for reading this blog. Here's to 500 more posts.

Hack Library School Interview

I was interviewed by Brenna Murphy as part of the great blog, "Hack Library School." Head on over there to read the interview, and when you're done poke around the rest of the blog.

Interview Post: Brenna Murphy

Biographical

Name?

Brenna Murphy

Current job?
Library Assistant in circulation at an academic library. Up until last week I was also a part-time student at the iSchool at the University of Illinois. I’m also one of the managing editors of the blog Hack Library School.

How long have you been in the field?
4 years.

How Do You Work?

What is your office/workspace like?

My desk is a mess. I have a few personal effects, such as pictures and trinkets, but most of my space has been taken over by bookbinding supplies (book tape, exacto knives, rulers, glue) because this past year I’ve been learning to do book repair for my library.

What do you spend most of your time doing?

Most of what I do is customer service. I help patrons at the circulation desk, answer phones, and respond to emails. I’m also responsible for discharging books, collecting circulation stats, and training student workers. I serve on a couple of committees, including a fun one that plans social events for library employees.

What is a typical day like for you?

As a full-time library employee, part-time student, and blogger, my days have been pretty full for the last two years. An average day might look like this:

• 9am - 5pm: Work. I’m responsible for a host of different things in circulation, including providing customer service at the desk, responding to phone and email requests, discharging books, recording circulation statistics, and serving on a couple of different committees.
• 5pm - 6pm: Bike home and prepare dinner. I love to cook!
• 6pm - 8 pm: Class. This summer I took Adult Popular Literature, where we talk about the different genres and learn how to provide readers’ advisory.
• 8pm - 9pm: Work on projects for Hack Library School. This could include writing posts, giving feedback to other writers, scheduling guest posts, or responding to email enquiries.
• 9pm - 10pm: Read in bed until I fall asleep.

What are you reading right now?

The last book I read was In the Woods by Tana French. I loved it, but don’t get me started on the ending! Now I’m working through Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi to get my true crime fix. I wish I could say I’m reading something academic, but I just finished school and I need a break!

What's the best professional advice you've ever received?

Don’t be discouraged by rejection. I can’t attribute this advice to any particular person because I feel like I hear it all the time - and I need to hear it! Especially as I begin my job search. I try to treat every rejection letter as inspiration to keep on trying.

What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?

At one point, I was responsible for recruiting people to take a library survey for an assessment initiative. This included approaching strangers in the lobby of our bustling library and asking them to fill out a survey. The constant rejection was awful! I have newfound respect for those Greenpeace campaigners I see on the street.

Inside the Library Studio

What is your favorite word?

Oubliette. My love for this word stems from my obsession with the movie Labyrinth.

What is your least favorite word?

This is technically two words, but I can’t stand when an author describes a character as having “almond eyes.” I feel like I see it everywhere and it drives me nuts (pun intended).

What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?

I love animals and have volunteered in shelters for years. I’m too squeamish to be a vet, but I think it would be awesome to work in a cat cafe.

What profession would you never want to attempt?

Accounting. I worked as an accounting assistant in a corporate setting before I moved into libraries and couldn’t stand the monotony of endless Excel sheets.

Everything Else

What superpower do you wish you had?

The ability to read faster. I always have a pile of books waiting to be read and I never seem to be able to get to all of them.

What are you most proud of in your career?

My career is still in the early stages, as I’m currently searching for my first post-grad job. So far, I’d have to say I’m most proud of the work I’ve done at Hack Library School. We’ve done some neat projects, such as interviewing the candidates for President of ALA this spring and a series of posts about Latin American librarianship in conjunction with the blog Infotecarios. Our blog is entirely student-run and I’m really proud of the work we’ve done together.

If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.

One day when I was new to reference, I was helping an alumni of my university look for the print copy of his thesis from about thirty years ago. According to our catalog, the thesis was no longer available. He was upset by this news since he did not have a copy for himself. After he left, I kept thinking about his situation and did a little more digging. It turned out that his thesis was part of a digitization project and was now online. Luckily, I had his contact information and let him know the good news - he came in the next week to look it up on one of our computers. This scenario taught me to explore every option before giving up on a reference question!

When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?

Cooking (probably Mexican food), reading, running, or hanging out with my husband and three cats.

Who else would you like to see answer these questions?

Kristina Williams, who is taking my place as Managing Editor at Hack Library School!


Brenna tweets at @LibBrenian.

Getting Into the Community

picture taken by Martha Boyd

This past weekend, I was on a panel at the Dover Comic Con. The other panelists were an English teacher from a local high school (also the husband of another librarian at my school) and the new provost, who used to teach literature at my college. Our panel, "Classrooms Can Get Graphic (Novels)", was about integrating graphic novels and comics across the curriculum. It was well attended, well received, and fun. But best of all, it was a way to support and be part of the efforts of the Dover Public Library, who organizes and runs this convention. Lots of people talk about the need to build town-gown relationships, but this was us actually doing it.

The thing is, all libraries - no matter what type - need to be an active part of the community they serve. From corporate libraries hosting parties to support scientists in their R&D department to public librarians teaming up with K-12 teachers to academic libraries cooperating in events run by the nearby public library. This is more than outreach, which is of course very important. This is about supporting the efforts of other organizations and about partnerships.

Here are some of the other things we've done to make sure that this library is an active part of not just the college community, but also city and state:

• Participate in a state-wide effort run by the Sexual Assault Network of Delaware as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 
• Tie our book displays into on campus events, like Domestic Abuse Awareness and Disability Awareness.
• Write reviews and actively promote the services of a therapy dog organization.

It can be hard to find time for this kind of thing when you're so focused on getting through the day to day, but it can also be highly rewarding. Being an active part of your community is more than getting patrons to come into the library; it's about getting out and working to further community goals.

How about you? What are some of the things you've done to support others in the community where you are? What are some of the things you'd like to do?

Just For Fun: Do You Smell Fudge?

One of my most ardent fandoms is also the one I talk about least. It's not something I see all the time on Tumblr and Twitter, like Leverage or Harry Potter or Pokemon. However, I recently bought the entire series on DVD just for the extras and commentaries - even though I've watched every episode at least 5 times before - so I figure it's time for me to talk about how much I love Warehouse 13. I'm going to try to keep this spoiler free since I'd love more people to join this fandom. On the other hand, you'll need to understand the premise, so...

You remember that enormous warehouse at the end of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark where they store the ark? Imagine the stories of the people who retrieve and guard those artifacts, those items with supernatural powers, and who maintain the facility. Add in a healthy dose of steampunk aesthetic, and you'll be close to Warehouse 13. But that's just the reason I started watching it. How about why I love it so deeply...?

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First, there's the fact that it's a true ensemble cast. Each character gets a background and human characteristics and family, and they're all in every single episode. They have to work together to solve the problems, and when they don't... well, it doesn't work well.

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Second, it's goofy. It's not a spoiler to tell you something from the first episode, right? Anyway, during the first episode we learn that an important diagnostic question employed by agents of Warehouse 13 is, "Do you smell fudge when there is no fudge?" Best part? That question actually comes in handy later in the series. Incidentally, the purple gloves are what agents wear so the artifacts don't impact them.

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Third, there are so many fabulous guest stars! Kate Mulgrew and Anthony Head and Cherie Curie and Roger Rees and Anthony Michael Hall and so many more than I can name here.

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Fourth, literature and history is woven throughout the series. That picture above? That's Sylvia Plath's typewriter. I won't tell you what powers it has, but I will tell you it's a very powerful object. There is no one genre or period which gets more focus than another. Studio 54 comes up, as does Lewis Carroll. HG Wells gets mentioned plenty. The Saracen-Arab Wars. And so on. And so on.

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Finally, this show was my first encounter with a realistic portrayal of an American practicing Buddhism. So many times in popular culture we see Buddhists as these completely enlightened and fully realized individuals who are a cross between a cowboy and the Dalai Lama. But most of us American Buddhists are just people on a path who are working towards and seeking that state. Finally, in Warehouse 13, I saw my own experiences represented. The character, Steve Jinks, and his Buddhist practice made me feel so much more comfortable about my own path than any of the books or articles or dharma talks I've attended.


How about you? If you are already a member of this fandom, what's your favorite thing about the show? If you aren't yet a fan of Warehouse 13, did I convince you to give it a try?

Being Gentle

I have a personal situation that is taking up most of the energy and focus I have that's not devoted to work, so I didn't have a post yet for today. I was going to try to read an article and crank out a post on that topic, but then I said to myself the thing I've been saying a lot to my friends lately: "Be gentle with yourself. You're doing the best you can right now." And I took a deep breath. And instead I'm going to tell you this: being gentle with yourself doesn't mean you don't hold yourself accountable. It just means that you don't berate yourself or drive yourself mercilessly. You are lovely and wonderful and complete, just as you are, at whatever stage of your path. Yes, strive for better, but support yourself as best you can.

To soften the blow of a super short blog post, here are some lovely videos and pictures and such: