Acting Head Librarian
Robertson Davies Library at Massey College
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I am a rare book and academic librarian, bibliographer, and booktuber. My principal areas of responsibility are rare book cataloguing, reference service, supervision of iSchool practicum students, collection development, and community outreach.
I specialize and read widely in the following subjects: book history, print culture and bibliography, literature, Medieval Studies—with a focus on Old English texts, Folklore, Pirate history, and Librarian efforts during WWI. I am also fascinated by the history of librarianship in general both as an institution and a profession.
I’m currently serving as the Acting Head Librarian at the Robertson Davies Library at Massey College, as well as coordinating the Book History and Print Culture program at the University of Toronto. I live in Toronto, with a lawyer/musician and two tuxedo cats. Reading plays a huge role in my life, which is why documenting my reading experience and publishing book reviews on the YouTube platform has become my creative outlet. For the past 3.5 years I have been a part of "booktube"—the name the community gives itself on the online YouTube platform for readers and book enthusiasts—under the channel name "Infinite Text." In this process I got to share misconceptions about librarianship, and details on what we do as librarians in an age where many assume our role has been usurped by the Internet. I did what I loved for fun, and created videos based on what I wished I could have done as a librarian. Surprisingly, this hobby shaped a portfolio for my professional profile at the same time. This is why I find this presentation to be valuable, as I would like to share with you all the benefits that come out of joining the booktube platform, particularly when it comes to career development in the realm of librarianship.
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