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 Stewart Baker, our Systems & Institutional Repository Librarian. He was an integral part of the team that made the switch to our new library system, Primo, over the summer. And if you take classes in Computer Science, Social Sciences, Modern Languages, or Philosophy your class may get a visit from Stewart at some point.  Here’s more about him:

—

What do you do in the library? I work on our website- and catalog-related things, including the recent migration to our new library system, Primo. I also provide reference services and teach library instruction sessions.

How long have you worked in the library? Since late October, 2013.

What is your education and professional background? I have a BA and MA in literature (with a focus on Medieval Europe and critical theory) and an MLIS in library science. I had a long and varied undergraduate career, taking courses in computer science, graphic design, art history, philosophy, and linguistics. Prior to starting work at WOU last October, I worked for 5 years as a reference and web services librarian at California State University, Dominguez Hills, located on the outskirts of the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles.

What is one thing about the library you think everyone should know? Librarians like answering questions, anything from the ones that seem too easy to ask about to the ones that seem impossible and weird. Please bring them all to us!

What is the last good book you read? I’m always reading, so there are too many to list. The last book I read which I really couldn’t put down was Ha Jin’s In the Pond.

What was your favorite book as a kid? As a younger kid, anything by Roald Dahl. As a teen, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, parts of which I can still quote from memory. (“Life? Don’t talk to me about life!”)

Tell us a fun fact about you! I am semi-fluent in Japanese, and spent half a year living and studying in Japan in 2005.