Please join us in welcoming Anne Nowalk to the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries as Student Supervisor / Course Reserves Associate. Before joining the Libraries, Anne was a Project Manager for a South Bend, IN media/marketing agency.
We asked Anne, 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 Student Supervisor/Course Reserves Associate?
Firstly, I want to get to know not only Hunt Library (where I will be working) but CMU as a whole. Getting to know the college will help me learn more about who is coming into Hunt daily and how our student employees can best serve this community they are part of. This will also help me better understand what our course reserves may look like each semester.
My other goal is to find projects for Hunt’s Student Assistants to work on, whether they’ve been done before or they are something completely new. I love the idea of giving our employees a chance to learn more about academic libraries and challenging them with tasks when they aren't serving our patrons.
How has your prior experience prepared you for this role at the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries?
When I worked as a student desk employee at Saint Mary’s College during my undergrad, I discovered the value of serving a campus community. What excites me about getting to supervise the student employees here is that I know I took away so much from my time working on my college’s campus. I hope to use that experience of being a student employee to uphold an already rewarding on-campus job.
As a Library Desk Clerk for my hometown’s public library, I was able to learn the basic ins and outs of a library. That job in particular prepared me for the circulation tasks required of this position. In many ways, the community I served in my previous library position was different from CMU. But when I’m working the circulation desk, I do find similarities. Patrons often enter libraries with a purpose, and working in Access Services means being there to assist those patrons when needed. Not only that but as a Student Supervisor, I set an example for the students I hire and supervise.
Being a Project Manager in marketing gave me the knowledge and skills needed to communicate effectively and manage multiple tasks at once. I also give massive credit to my B.A. in Communication Studies. Since my first day here, I have learned that both these skills, multi-tasking and communication, are vital for my role. This is especially true since I coordinate with students, faculty, and staff both online and in person.
What projects are you excited to tackle in your first few months?
With the start of the semester, many faculty are contacting Hunt about course reserves. I am excited to work on those course reserves, as this is one of the newer elements of the job for me. Another project I am looking forward to is hiring a few more students for this semester and future semesters. With some of our Assistants graduating soon, it’s important to find enthusiastic students who want to work with us again next fall. In addition to hiring, I am looking forward to getting our assistants active in a few projects around the library, such as shelf reading. Finally, I am excited to take on the project of updating a few of the manuals and guides used by the Access Services employees here in Hunt.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Contrary to my last name, I love to walk! It’s one of my favorite ways to get active and explore. I’m excited for the weather to improve so I can explore the area’s parks. I also love to read books, watch movies, and listen to music. In fact, one of my favorite things to do while on a walk is to get lost in an audiobook.