Each term, we introduce you to a few of the people who work to make Hamersly your favorite place on campus to do research, study, print your papers, meet with a group, or simply kick back and read in a quiet place.

This week, meet Jackson Stalley. He is an elusive, behind-the-scenes type library employee, but if you have ever used an online resource through the library you’ve benefitted from his hard work. Here’s more about him:

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What do you do in the library? I work with the serials and electronic resources helping the Collection Management Librarian ensure our serial and electronic collections are accurate and available when patrons want them. I also assist in creating local solutions for data normalization, manipulation and collection needs.

How long have you worked in the library? I’ve worked at Hamersly Library for 8 years and I’ve moved work areas within the library as much as anybody. I started on the second floor in Collection Management then shifted to a different location there before heading to the first floor as a part of Collection Development. I moved back upstairs to my old work area as a member of the merged Tech Services/Collection Development unit a few years ago. Sometimes I am not sure what unit I’m really in…I think it is Collection Management.

What is your education and professional background? I grew up in a small Idaho town and fled the cold for college in the sunny southwest. I debated at the University of New Mexico before moving with my partner to the University of Utah and later WOU where I took computer science and biology classes. I also worked as a student employee in the library. Before moving to Oregon, I worked in beer (worked I said) and later in the outdoor industry specializing in canyoneering and climbing and as an instructor in primitive navigation/survival.

What is the last good book you read? The last book I read that wasn’t about fly fishing was The Political Economy of Human Rights by Noam Chomsky.

What is one thing about the library you think everyone should know? Printed books are power.

What was your favorite book as a kid? My favorite book as a young person was Das Kapital by Karl Marx, or the Bhagavad Gita.

Tell us a fun fact about you! Here are three:

• I don’t have a cell phone or home computer and I don’t want one. Join me, you’ll love it.
• I save every penny possible so I can fly fish for incredible fish in amazing places.
• I recently participated in a university service learning project in an indigenous community in Central America and I organize and help community food/clothing drives, the WOU holiday toy drive, Food Day, the WOU Staff Hardship Fund, and the WOU Food Pantry.