An Introduction to me…

This post was originally published as an assignment for INFO 287 Seminar in Information Science: The Hyperlinked Library at the School of Information at San José State University.

Why this class?

I started at the iSchool in Fall 20, taking two classes at a time I plan to graduate in Fall 22. I knew I wanted to take this class the moment Professor Stephens mentioned it in the INFO200 lectures. Excellent marketing! His engaging and thought-provoking lectures were the highlight of that first semester for me. Originally I thought I would save this class to take alongside my eport in my final semester. However, the classes I have taken since INFO200 have left me craving some more energy and inspiration. For that class, I researched Wikipedians which introduced me to a very deep rabbit hole of interconnected global communities. I look forward to exploring more ways of linking people to information and information.

I currently work in a community college library doing a variety of projects that range from cataloging to web development. I originally enrolled in the MLIS program with the intent of earning the credentials to work as an academic librarian. But I have become increasingly frustrated with how slow long-established institutions like academia have been at embracing meaningful change. I thought the pandemic would force some of this, but I am personally witnessing pandemic fatigue as the new semester is getting underway. So many colleagues just want to go back to the way things were prior to 2020. 

A bit about me.

• I live in Arizona. I moved here to live at Arcosanti, an unintentional community in the high desert. I was really attracted to the idea of living in a community that would be entirely free of automobiles. I stayed for nearly ten years, because I fell in love with the sky, particularly the fact you could see the Milky Way. As someone who grew up in a city (Philadelphia), I was totally awestruck by the vastness of everything.
• I settled in Phoenix, Arizona which represents the antithesis of everything Arcosanti tried to teach me. But, the desert is my muse. I paint vibrant botanical folk art inspired by the alien-like plants of the Sonoran Desert. 
• My husband and I are empty nesters. Our twin daughters just started their senior year of college, they go to the same school in Massachusetts.
• In addition to full-time work and grad school, I am a mixed media artist. I mostly paint vibrant botanical folk art, but I’ve also worked with metals, ceramics, and fiber. Here is a photo of me standing in front of one of my paintings.