What is your educational background?
B.A. degree in Sociology/Anthropology from Denison University, Granville, Ohio.

How long have you been at Loyola and what do you like best about working here?
I have been at Loyola for about seven months – and I believe that two of the best things about working here is the interaction I have with my colleagues, and of course, the fantastic location of the Water Tower Campus!

What do you find most challenging about your work at Loyola?
Copyright issues. I have been attending workshops and reading up on copyright statutes, and there is still so much to decipher!

What interests do you have outside of work?
Exploring new places, participating in new activities, reading, studying languages, cats and other animals, Japanese anime and manga (graphic novels), the list never ends…

Where have you traveled?
I have lived in Jersey City (NJ), Calcutta/Kolkata (India), Granville (OH) and spent a semester abroad in Chiba, Japan. Among the other places I’ve visited are Tokyo (and surrounding areas) and Okinawa in Japan, all over the state of West Bengal in India, and as for the United States, I have been to several places in Ohio, upstate New York, Washington D.C. and Florida.

What books have you read recently that you would recommend?
I am an avid fan of Haruki Murakami, and would especially recommend Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. I would recommend The Good Women of China by Xinran for the non-fiction category.

Title of your position:
Serials Acquisitions Assistant

What is your educational background?
I have a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from DePaul University.

How long have you been at Loyola and what do you like best about working here?
I worked in the General Counsel’s office at the WTC for a year before transferring here to Cudahy in November 2008. The best part of the job is seeing all of the journals we get. There are some pretty wacky titles; my favorite being Progressive Grocer.

What do you find most challenging about your work at Loyola?
Focusing! It can be difficult when you’re surrounded by so many fun things to read and interesting people to talk to. The investigative work that comes with my job is challenging too, but it’s also pretty fun in a treasure-hunting kind of way.

What interests do you have outside of work?
They are always shifting. Lately, it’s embroidery, roller derby, and fencing lessons for the summer. Some perennial faves include reading, writing, dirty chai lattes, and finding humor in the everyday minutiae of perpetuity.

Where have you traveled?
I have never been out of continental U.S.A., which is a void in my life. I’m getting started on it in June when I visit Vancouver as one of several stops on a road trip through the Pacific Northwest. Next destination: France. Eventually. Hopefully.

What books have you read recently that you would recommend?
I know I’m a bit behind the curve on this one, but I just read Watchmen and I loved it. It is a must-read, particularly if you saw the movie, so that the damage done by the film version can be reversed!

What is your educational background?
I have a B.A. and M.A. in history and a M.S. in Library and Information Science.

How long have you been at Loyola and what do you like best about working here?
I’ve been at Loyola for six months. I like being in an atmosphere where people are asking questions! Librarians, library staff, students, and members of the faculty are engaged in asking challenging questions about what we do, what we could be doing, and how.

What do you find most challenging about your work at Loyola?
I am finding that the diversity of the Loyola community is an asset but also a challenge. The challenging part, for the Libraries at least, is serving undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty members, resident students, distance learners, alumni, and others from so many programs; lots of groups with different needs and interests.

What interests do you have outside of work?
I’m still settling into life in the Chicago area. I like getting out to explore new places.

Where have you traveled?
I’ve traveled in the United States and some in the Scandinavian countries and Britain.

What books have you read recently that you would recommend?
I recommended Miss Alcott’s E-mail for the Libraries’ holiday reading list and would suggest it again for its ingenuity. I am fond of Frederick Buechner’s nonfiction. For me, reading anything of his is like sharing a conversation with an erudite and kindhearted friend.

David Givens, Acquisitions Coordinator and Bibliographer for Fine Arts, appears in the March/April film issue of The Believer magazine. His essay “No Shell, Just a Ghost” reflects on the overlap between memory and image, the silence of snow, and the solace of film.

David attended University of Michigan and Columbia University. His work has also appeared in Frieze. He has worked at Cudahy Library since 1991.

Why did you choose to become a Librarian?
I worked in a library as an undergraduate and enjoyed it.

What is your educational background?
An Associates Degree in Psychology from Mesa State University, a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma and a degree in Information Science from the University of Chicago.

What is the most exciting part of being a Librarian?
Getting to work with researchers on their topics. I always learn something new.

How long have you been at Loyola and what do you like best about working here?
22 years! The people I know and meet here are what I like best.

What interests do you have outside of work?
Crafts, books (especially mysteries), Facebook, and my iPod.

Where have you traveled?
All over the United States

What books have you read recently that you would recommend?

• Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian
• David Baldacci’s The Collectors
• I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason: A Cece Caruso Mystery by Susan Kandel