Paige is the new Furman University Science Librarian. She comes to Furman all the way from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Paige is a first generation master’s degree holder. She has a B.A. in writing and a B.A. in film/video production with a minor in biology from Grand Valley State University. She earned her M.S. in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a focus in academic libraries, science librarianship, and bioinformatics.
I asked Paige how she knew she wanted to work as a librarian, and this is what she had to say: “It wasn’t something I had considered before, but I found out about librarianship while doing an undergraduate writing consultation for a fellow student’s personal statement for library school. Then, suddenly I knew!”
Her previous library experience includes work at a non-profit library focused on LatinX communities and culture; she worked on summer programming and in ESL instruction. She worked in a public library for one summer helping with their summer reading program. Paige has also worked with undergraduate students at an R1 research institution; in this role, her primary responsibilities were teaching information literacy for undergraduate students, providing reference services, and supervising student workers in the undergraduate library.
When not at work, Paige spends her time reading, playing video games, weightlifting, baking, and thrift shopping. She is currently reading The Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, and she is an avid player of Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch game. A few other bits of trivia about Paige include: her favorite color is green, her favorite season is fall, and her favorite movies are Howl’s Moving Castle and About Time. When asked about her favorite food, her response was: “It’s all good!” She also recently adopted a cat named Tulip from the Barker Rescue Project.
Paige first heard about Furman University through our music librarian, Patricia Sasser. During an ALA conference, Patricia overheard Paige discussing science librarianship with another attendee, and so Patricia gave Paige one of her business cards. Paige later rediscovered that business card, and here she is. Part of what attracted her to Furman was her desire to work as a subject librarian. She went on to say, “It’s almost like Furman found me!”
In her role as the science librarian, Paige will direct the operations of the science library and oversee student assistants. She will coordinate collaborations between science departments, the main library, and the science library. She will instruct science and information literacy sessions and assist students and faculty with their research. She is passionate about science communication. In the spring semester, she will begin teaching in FYW and WR classes. When asked what she is most excited about in her new position, Paige replied, “Working with and getting to know students. Getting students excited about seeing the science library as a research space.”