Jenn O’Leary

Every time a student or faculty member requests a book that WCU doesn’t have, Interlibrary Loan Technician Jenn O’Leary is one of the people who helps bring it to campus. “’We will search the world for you,’ is the motto I live by,” says O’Leary.

She and her colleagues regularly work with partner libraries across the globe to fill requests. She’s proud of the fact that this team was named one of the fastest in the region at filling requests. So when WCU shifted to remote instruction, O’Leary jumped into high gear, rapidly training an onsite team in how to scan and then upload scans to digital folders. She wrote training guides and helped walk staffers through the processes via email and over the phone.

"Getting this set up was a huge team effort," says O’Leary. "We scanned the necessary chapters from books that were on Reserve for many different classes. We focused on getting students what they needed as quickly as possible to help them succeed in their online classes."

O’Leary is just as busy this summer. "A lot of students have been requesting textbooks for summer courses so we have been tracking those down," she says. "Summertime also means faculty are researching and concentrating on their own scholarship. We already have a number of trickier faculty requests but have been able to deliver on most. Trying to track down obscure resources is actually a great deal of fun and so exciting when you can get the material."

Wes Miriello

As Circulation and Stacks Technician, Wes Miriello helps manage the collection of books at University Libraries. This past academic year, Miriello was part of a team that surveyed students about how they would like to see the library upgraded. He also is a gifted teacher; during a typical semester he often is found instructing student workers on new skills.

Miriello learned an entirely new skillset himself when he volunteered to be a member of the onsite library team. He learned how to process loan requests and scan articles and book chapters. He knew he had to learn fast as time was of the essence.

"Our workload reached a peak right before finals, as you might expect," says Miriello. "We were very busy but I’m happy that I was able to help our students. The library has been able to adapt to this situation and find new ways to provide our community with the resources they need."

Mariello is diving into new projects this summer, including a review of inventory processes and looking at ways to improve the student worker program. "Although it’s a big change from previous summers, this is a great opportunity to analyze the systems we have in place and see how we can improve them," he says.

Sarah Corapi

As a Library Assistant, Sarah Corapi is a jack of all trades. You’ll often find her at the help desk, answering questions and trouble-shooting problems for library patrons. When the Instructional Media Center gets busy she jumps in to print posters for students’ research projects. She also works in Special Collections cataloging new rare items.

Corapi is always quick to lend a hand. So it wasn’t surprising to see her volunteer to pick up library materials from residence halls in mid-March. Then, she joined the onsite team that processed interlibrary requests. It was hectic but everyone was focused on their mission to get resources to students who needed them ASAP.

"The day would start with one of us pulling requested books from the shelves and another person grabbing journals so we could scan and email articles to students," says Corapi. "The next few hours were spent scanning articles and preparing shipments for UPS. I’d then make a quick trip to the campus post office to pick up and sort our mail, then we’d process returns from students or other universities."

Corapi is continuing these duties this summer and adding new tasks. "I’ll be answering questions we get via email, so ask away," she says. "I’m also working with one of our librarians to review our collection and see what we don’t use so we can make room for new materials. It’s been a really busy but also gratifying time to work for the library."

Annette Hamilton

Like Jenn O’Leary, Annette Hamilton is an interlibrary loan technician who secures both digital and physical reserve resources for faculty and students. During a typical semester she hunts down everything from physical books to portable model skeletons (which are used in biology classes).

In March, Hamilton joined other library staffers to obtain digital resources to replace the physical ones students normally borrow. “In partnership with the campus bookstore, we were able to provide free electronic access to many books that were on hard copy reserves and we also mailed books to students,” she says.

"When you think of a library you think of a physical location where you can help people in a direct way to find a book,” says Hamilton. “But a library is really access to information. Our wonderful librarians have worked hard to find alternative sources of information when a physical item wasn’t available. It has been great to be part of a fantastic group of people dedicated to helping students."

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