Please join us in welcoming Charlotte Price to the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries as Liaison Librarian for History and Modern Languages. Prior to joining the Libraries, Charlotte was the Research and Instruction Librarian for History and Humanities at Barnard College of Columbia University.
We asked Charlotte, who uses she/her/hers pronouns, a few questions about herself and her plans for her new role.
What are your goals for this year as our new Liaison Librarian for History & Modern Languages?
My first goal is to get to know the people I’ll be getting to work with here. I want to explore the courses offered, talk to students and faculty about their projects and research needs, the labs and their resources, and seek out connections. I really want to get acquainted with what’s being created by our communities here at Carnegie Mellon.
I especially want to see the intersections between my departments of History, Modern Languages, and the Libraries and how I can foster those connections.
How has your prior experience prepared you for this role at the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries?
I’ve been working as a librarian dealing with history and languages for the majority of my career now, starting with my first library job at the University of Pennsylvania where I worked with medieval & renaissance manuscripts. To be able to read and catalog these manuscripts, you need to be familiar with the ways language worked at the time of creation, as well as the historical context in which they were created.
Working with liberal arts students in the past, I’ve become highly adept at working with interdisciplinary research needs. Taking this kind of approach to research can be highly beneficial, as you can find relevant information in non-traditional sources for a subject. I’m excited to be able to apply my tech skills from the doctoral program I’m in to the research going on at Carnegie Mellon as well. I’m also interested in exploring research avenues using my experience with creating (and playing) games.
What projects are you excited to tackle in your first few months?
With all the changes in how (and from where) people access the information they need, I’m planning on building up remote options for research support, in addition to getting to meet with students and faculty on-campus to talk about their research projects. I’d love to take a look at some of the immersive AR/VR options that can be used to explore history and modern languages as well.
There’s a lot happening at Carnegie Mellon involving Open Access, Digital Humanities, and Open Education Resources that I’m also excited to get involved in. In addition to these, I’m looking forward to working on my doctoral research examining media literacy and communication’s intersection with memes on social media.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Outside of work, I love walking around outside birdwatching. I’m also an avid baker (I want to try making kouign-amann once the weather cools down). In addition, I’ve been working on learning to play the guitar (and maybe the mandolin soon) as well as working on various textile projects, despite the efforts of my cat to sabotage them. I’m really looking forward to exploring more of Pittsburgh!