Erin (she/her) joined the City Tech Library as an Adjunct Reference & Instruction Librarian in the spring of 2025.
What is your academic and library background?
This past December, I earned my Master’s in Library Science and Master’s in English. In graduate school, I worked as a Research Assistant, Makerspace Employee, and Assistant to the Media Studies, Gender Studies, and Philosophy Librarian. I offered one-on-one research consultations to students, helped patrons use the Makerspace (where we had 3D printers, a sewing machine, vinyl cutters, and button makers), and provided library instruction for English and Gender Studies classes. I especially enjoyed offering research assistance and learning about student projects. I also created LibGuides on a number of topics including artificial intelligence, representations in the media, and the riot grrrl movement.
What made you want to become a librarian? Was there any event or person that influenced you?
When I was in college, I thought I wanted to be a scientist. After completing a degree in Biochemistry, I worked in a Neuroscience lab in Philadelphia where I studied axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury. Though I enjoyed my time in STEM, I came to realize that I wanted to work in a more public-facing role and in a field that combines my interests in the sciences and humanities. As an undergraduate, I took a class called “The Artist in the Archives” which introduced me to the special collections at the John Hay Library. My classmates and I learned about using the archives not only as academic researchers but as artists and creative writers. I also had the opportunity to take a book arts class that got me interested in print history and bookbinding. Based on these experiences and my love of reading, librarianship felt like a perfect fit.
In a nutshell, what do you do at the City Tech Library?
I provide library reference services and offer classroom instruction. I also work on creating research guides and blog posts like this one. Come say hello to me at the reference desk!
What are some of your favorite City Tech library resources?
I really like City Tech’s graphic novel collection (which you can find on the bookshelves under the staircase). There are lots of cool materials available including one of my favorite graphic novels, On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. Additionally, I love seeing what films we have available to stream on SWANK which provides access to some major theatrical releases.
What books, tv, films, and/or music are you currently listening to?
Right now, I am making my way through Moby Dick (in honor of the opera that just opened at the Met) and recently finished Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson, and the Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. I love campus novels, books about walking, and environmental fiction.
