5 Questions with a Loon – Sidney Lanier

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Melissa Sievers
Bike by the Blanco River in Texas

Sidney A. Lanier
Title: Catalog & Archives Librarian
Library: Syracuse University College of Law Library
Location: Syracuse, NY

Five Questions:

1. In five words, describe the library of your youth…and your vision of a library 20 years from now? Small, train car, friendly, formative. I grew up in a tiny little town called Weimar in Texas, so our public library was literally a train car full of books. The librarians were always so nice and the books inside, particularly encyclopedias, helped me learn that there was so much outside my little town. It is hard to say what libraries will look like in 20 years because they rely so heavily on technology. I foresee academic libraries becoming more entwined with IT and database research, while I anticipate that public libraries will continue to adjust to fulfill social welfare needs as necessary. I hope small town libraries like my childhood library stay much the same, though.

2. Three goals for the year? So many personal goals. I want to be better about training for cycling in the winter, so I am faster when the season starts and I want to do all the maintenance on my car and motorcycles that I have been putting off. One major goal that I have is to organize and initiate a digitization for the Syracuse College of Law’s archival collection. I am both excited and nervous about taking that on.

3. Last photo you took with your phone? See above.

4. Favorite country outside the U.S.? It is hard to pick. I love Lebanon for its eclectic and friendly people, but I also love France because I lived there for three years and it feels like home in many ways.

5. Favorite thing about living in upstate New York? The bike riding and the swimming in the summer is so fun!!

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5 Questions with a Loon – Christine Bowersox

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Melissa Sievers
Christine Bowersox and her good buddy Ben Franklin at UPenn

Title: Reference Librarian
Library: Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Location: New York, NY
AALL Member Profile (July 2018): https://www.aallnet.org/member-profile/christine-bowersox/
AALL Spectrum articles: “Collection building in the 21st century” and “Dialectic of transformation: the shaping of a name.”

Five Questions:

1. In five words, describe the library of your youth…and your vision of a library 20 years from now. My favorite place to be.
I cannot tell you how many days/hours of my youth were spent there reading, attending story time, and countless lectures, crafts, and book sales. The library 20 years from now exists in a way that is less tied to the printed word and is space of community, technology, and knowledge. There are definitely still librarians and they still rock!

2. Favorite book series from childhood? The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin. I just bought a copy of the first book of the series, Kristy’s Great Idea, as a gift for my (very pregnant) sister to keep the love alive.

3. Favorite thing about living in upstate New York? Although I don’t live upstate any longer, I can say that my favorite thing that I MISS the most is the close and quick access to the beauty of the outdoors. I miss being able to walk or drive quickly to gorgeous parks whenever I want.

4. How long did it take you to become a librarian? I started the library program at Kent State University in the Fall of 2008, transferred to the University at Buffalo, and finished in Summer 2012. My path to librarianship was more of a stroll.

5. Three goals for the year? Attend more Broadway shows, travel to new places instead of revisiting the same places, and eat less sugar.

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5 Questions with a Loon, Super-sized Edition – Steve Roses

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Melissa Sievers
  • Steve Roses at the W.S. Hein booth, 2019 AALL Meeting & Conference in D.C.
  • Steve and family
  • With Jeff Goldblum, 2017 ALLUNY Spring Institute
  • Take two, for those who prefer no glasses!
  • Shopping at Costco with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)

Title: Director of Sales
Company: William S. Hein
Location: Maplewood, NJ (Born in Brooklyn, NY. Grew up in Longmeadow and Sudbury, MA)
Website: https://www.wshein.com/company-directory/

Ten Questions:

1. Library of your youth? Goodnow Public Library in Sudbury, MA. A very relaxing place to read and study.

2. Library of the future? Free Starbucks when you come in….

3. Favorite film adaptation? The Shawshank Redemption, based on the Stephen King work.

4. Favorite musical group? The Beatles

5. Favorite cuisines? Chinese, Indian, Japanese

6. Favorite city in North America? Vancouver, B.C.

7. Favorite country outside the U.S.? Canada

8. Favorite kind of bread? Naan

9. Favorite actor? Bill Murray

10. Favorite show? SNL

Bonus: Last photo taken from your phone? This lovely sun-drenched view of New York from the plane.
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