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Meet the Staff (above image)
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The Library staff, front row from left: Kerri Vardon, library clerk; Evelina Woodruff, reference assistant; Joann Hogan, library clerk; Jason Philibotte, student assistant; Pat Donnelly, library technical assistant; Anna Vecchio, library assistant; Qi Wang, technical assistant. Back from left: Christine Edgar, head of Access Services; Mary Madenski, library clerk; Sean Patrick Stevens, library clerk; Anne O’Connor, head of Reference; Kathy Preet, library clerk; Denise Golde, secretary; Marion Sachdeva, Acquisitions and Cataloging; Hanko Dobi, University librarian; Paulette Moye, library technical assistant.
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An Interview with Hanko Dobi, University librarian
Briefly, what are the goals and priorities for you and your staff, and how do you manage to accomplish them?
The Library’s primary goal is to provide the UNH community with up-to-date informational, research, and instructional materials and facilities. The Library staff provides excellent customer service to the UNH students and faculty, as well as outside visitors. We make sure that people quickly get the information, book or journal article that they need. We also provide students with information about services offered by other departments on campus. That way we can give the best possible referral to students so they do not become frustrated.
Today, our Library is both a physical space located in the three-story brick building called the Marvin K. Peterson Library and a virtual location (library.newhaven.edu) on the Internet offering 24/7 library services along with full texts of books, journals, government documents and other materials to UNH faculty, staff and students. Interlibrary loan forms, library guides in a number of subject areas, library tutorials, an online catalog listing the materials available, and the ability to renew your books online are offered via the web.
The Library’s physical facility has print books, journals, and government documents along with journals and book on microfiche and microfilm, videotapes, DVDs, and CDs. The Library’s many windows provide beautiful views of the main quadrangle, the City of New Haven and Long Island Sound. Students and faculty find quiet study space on the upper level and group study areas on the lower level. Casual, comfortable seating for reading and studying is available on each level. Laptops can be used throughout the building, which has wireless capability. There are currently four group study rooms available for students to use for their study groups or to work on class presentations. Also available are 54 computers with the Microsoft Access Suite, SPSS, and Internet connectivity. A Jazzman’s Café is located on the main level.
Tell us a little about your staff.
The Library has a staff of 20 to cover the two shifts Mondays through Thursdays and the one shift on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. There are four full-time librarians including me, two part-time librarians, nine full-time clerical/technical staff, and five part-time clerical/technical staff. The Library also has four graduate students and nine Undergraduate students helping us while classes are in session.
We vary in age, background, and education, but we share a commitment to giving our community the best possible library experience, and we enjoy working as a team. We are very proud of the fact that many library employees have worked at our Library for quite a number of years, the longest since 1983. I have been with UNH a little over 20 years, Anna Vecchio 24 years, Paulette Moye 19 years, Cathy Prete and Marion Sachdeva 17 years, Denise Golde 13 years, Mary Madenski 11 years, and Evelina Woodruff 10 years. Marie Keenan, who retired in May 2007, worked in the Library for 29 years.
What are your hours?
The Marvin K. Peterson Library hours are:
Mid-August through the end of June we are open seven days a week.
Monday through Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
July through mid-August we are open six days a week with our hours changing on Fridays and Sundays:
Monday through Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed.
Interesting library fact you might not know:
The Library used to be located in South Campus Hall. It moved in 1974 when the Marvin K. Peterson Library was dedicated.
Can you share an anecdote or two about staff experiences in the Library?
There was the time a woman brought her tiny Lhasa Apso into the Library. I heard this little whimpering behind me while I was at the Information Desk, but when I turned around there was just this woman sitting at a computer working. I thought I was hearing things. But then, his little head popped out of the woman’s bag, and I just had to laugh because he looked so cute.
Just last week, I received a telephone call from a former undergraduate student who worked in the Library more than 13 years ago. He called to thank me and other members of the Library Staff for all of the help and guidance we gave him when he worked here. He said that it made a real difference in his life, something that he was just fully realizing. I am not sure what prompted this phone call, but it sure made my day.
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