Sam is an Adjunct Instruction and Reference Librarian who joined the City Tech Library in the spring of 2025.
In a nutshell, what do you do at the City Tech Library?
I help students develop research topics, locate articles in library databases, look up books and reserve textbooks, troubleshoot technical issues, and locate other City Tech resources. All of this falls under the umbrella of reference services.
I also teach information literacy classes that introduce students to different library resources.
What is your academic and library background?
When I’m not at City Tech, I’m an adjunct librarian at SUNY Westchester Community College (WCC). My work at WCC is complementary to my work at City Tech, so this gives me the opportunity to take things I’ve learned at WCC and apply it when at City Tech, and vice versa.
I’m from New York, but I left to pursue my Master’s in Library and Information Science at the University of Washington in Seattle. While at the University of Washington, I worked in the archival department of the university library. Before this, I hadn’t spent time working in libraries or archives.
What made you want to become a librarian? Was there any event or person that influenced you?
I spent a lot of time in the library throughout my undergraduate years and had positive experiences getting help from librarians on different projects. I also studied Art History for my degree and became interested in the way that museums and librarians facilitate learning and research. My interest in librarianship formulated around this time, but it would be many years before I decided to take that interest seriously and pursue a career in the field.
What were your first impressions of life at City Tech? Were there any surprises?
I’m consistently impressed by the creativity, empathy, and passion that City Tech students display when pursuing their studies and interacting with peers. Likewise, my library colleagues have been extremely helpful in getting me oriented and offering all sorts of guidance.
What are some of your favorite City Tech library resources?
I think City Tech’s workshop offerings are really fantastic and varied. If I were a student or faculty member I would take full advantage of them.
And, even though I’m a librarian, I sometimes still forget the finer points of citation styles. Luckily, we have a well-organized research guide on the topic (as well as great guides on many other topics) that has gotten me out of jams!
What books, tv, films, and/or music are you currently listening to?
During my time in graduate school for library science, I barely touched a book for reading purposes. Ironic, I know. I did watch plenty of movies though. The director Mike Leigh emerged as a new favorite.
All that said, I’m hoping to get back on the reading bandwagon in 2025.
What else would you like City Tech students and faculty to know about you?
I’m excited to keep working with students and assisting them on their academic journeys.
