Where Are They Now?
Kristen Twardowski ‘12 & Lindsay Schriftman, née Adelsheim ‘00
What was your job at the Oberlin College Library?: I worked in quite a few roles at Mudd. I began as a student circulation assistant at the main desk and eventually became a student supervisor. I also had the opportunity to spend one summer working as a library stacks attendant, which was a great way to learn more about the internal workings of the library.
What are you up to now?: Currently, I belong to the wonderful and wild world of academic publishing. I work for Duke University Press, a medium sized publisher that puts out over 100 academic monographs and 45 journals each year. Because I was a history major at Oberlin, I am especially proud of Duke University Press’s work with journals like Cultural Politics, The Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies, and TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. At the Press, my official title is “Sales and Marketing Research Coordinator”, which is a fancy way of saying that I do data analysis and help support the expansion of the books and journals programs. Part of my success in this role is a result of my experience at academic libraries. While working at Oberlin College library, I learned how individuals make use of library resources: what books are frequently checked out, what items are somewhat ignored; and how people discover both new and old materials. Having worked at libraries in the past, first at Mudd and later at Purdue University Libraries, allows me to better relate to the difficulties that librarians and library staff face when curating collections, managing spaces, and dealing with changing technologies. In order to be successful and continue to produce cutting edge scholarship, academic publishers must understand how university libraries function. Having worked at Oberlin College Library enables me to bring that knowledge to the rest of my team.
Do you have any special memories from your time with us?: The best part of working at Mudd was the people. Because I worked at the library, I had the chance to meet and become friends with interesting and vibrant people that I might not have met otherwise. Mudd sits at the heart of the college, and everyone, people from north and south campus, science majors and conservatory students, first year seminar groups and fifth years, meets at the library. Yoko Ono’s convocation address best embodied that dynamic. After she spoke, people streamed into the library. Everyone was laughing and holding mini lasers, and they used them to blink out “I love you” just like Yoko Ono had asked them to do. For days afterward, every time I worked at the circulation desk, I saw people shine those lights. It was a perfectly Oberlin thing for people to do, and seeing it in the library concentrated the effect.On a less sentimental note, I adored going into the Carnegie Building to get books from library storage. If no one has filmed a horror movie in the storage stacks, someone should. There are flickering lights, a rickety elevator, places where the floor is made of murky glass, and levels of old books that just keep going down, down, down. It is all very atmospheric. I suppose those two concepts are what I think of when I remember Oberlin: a little bit haunting and a lot of heart.
Lindsay Schriftman, née Adelsheim ‘00
What was your job at the Oberlin College Library?: I worked in Reserve from 1996 until I graduated. Things were different back then and we were just beginning to provide students with course materials electronically. In the olden days we made copies (lots and lots of copies) of articles and books that professors wanted students to read and circulated them from the reserve room which was on A level.
What are you up to now?: I am the Campus Director of Learning Resources at Miami Dade College. After Oberlin I worked for a few years before going to grad school and getting my MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science) at the University of Pittsburgh. I worked in several other academic libraries before moving to Florida 5 years ago and now I am a library director! I oversee library services on my campus as well as all tutoring and academic support services.
My experience as a student worker at Mudd was hugely influential in my life and career path, although I certainly had no idea I wanted to be a librarian when I started at Oberlin! On my first day at Oberlin I walked around to every place on campus listing openings for work study students and had the incredible good fortune to meet Julie Weir, who was then the reserve supervisor. She would become my boss, mentor, and mom away from home for the next four years! Not only did Julie give me a much needed job but she opened my mind to all that library work has to offer and supported me and all her student employees as we figured out our academic goals, career paths, and often dramatic personal lives!
One of the best parts about being a student worker at Mudd was that I got to help out in other departments over the years and learn about library work. In the summers or when a staff person was on vacation I learned about the archives, special collections, stacks maintenance, cataloging, interlibrary loan, the art, music, and science libraries and so much more! I was amazed to learn about a career that really allowed you to learn something new every day and pursue all your interests while providing invaluable service to others.
Every fall when I get a new crop of student workers I tell them that I was once sitting right where they are now and had no clue that libraries would become my career. I tell them that you never know what will come of your first job so to give it their all and learn as much as they can!
Do you have any special memories from your time with us?: I have so many wonderful memories of working at Mudd. I always volunteered to work late the last day of reading period so that I would be forced to finish all my work early. I loved the energy of finals on A-level!
Julie fostered a fantastic work environment which is something I try to emulate with my staff today. I supervise about 35 people, many of whom are part-time student workers just like I was when I worked for Julie. Something I learned from her is that supporting your staff means so much more than scheduling them, doing payroll, enforcing rules etc. If you want to be a successful leader and meet your department goals you have to treat your people well, respect them, and share your life with them. Most days I spend more time with my coworkers than I do with my family, so I invest a lot of energy to make our work environment a positive one. I learned how valuable this is at my first real job at the Oberlin College Library!
