Meet New Librarian Emily Pattni
CSN Libraries extends a warm welcome to new eLearning Librarian Emily Pattni! Emily will be helping students both online and at the Charleston campus library. She has answered a few of our interview questions to help us get to know her!
Can you tell us a little bit about your background before coming to CSN? Where have you lived and gone to school?
I was born in Las Vegas and actually attended the CSN High School program before transferring to UNLV and studying English and Higher Education. I always knew I wanted to work with college students, so being an eLearning Librarian at CSN is like coming home! I also just moved back after living in Phoenix for three years. While I was there, I graduated with my Masters of Library and Information Sciences from the University of Washington and worked at Arizona State University designing collections for the newly renovated main campus library.
What was the most interesting job you’ve ever had?
I've worked in libraries and different jobs at the university for my whole life, but I will say that working at circulation (front desk) for the UNLV Library as a student worker produced some of the most interesting stories and best friendships that I still have. The student workers bonded over things like having to shoo bats out of the library, unique interactions with the public, and at one point we even created a short-lived intramural softball team. The staff were also so supportive of our studies/interests and are a huge reason why I realized I loved the idea of being a librarian.
What do you like best about working at CSN Libraries so far?
After working at two large universities, I really love that CSN is smaller because it has been very easy to get to know my new colleagues across different departments and get involved. I started this position working remotely for 4 months and was pleasantly surprised at how connected I felt to everyone despite the campuses being physically closed. The second best thing has been how many yummy food spots there are within 5-10 minutes of CSN Charleston! I'm looking forward to trying all of them!
What activities do you enjoy when you’re not at work?
I love going to rock concerts, hiking, and traveling but with the heat of summer and in consideration of the current Covid-19 restrictions, I have been trying out every type of indoor hobby. Some of my favorite have been drawing portraits, oil/acrylic painting, resin, gaming, piano, and cooking. I'm hoping to get back to seeing some shows at the Brooklyn Bowl, finding new trails at Mt. Charleston, and would love to plan a trip to Japan or Iceland.
What’s one fact about yourself you’d like to share?
I was always jealous of people who knew what career they wanted to be from a young age. I find every subject interesting which made it difficult to pick one area of study to focus on. I considered everything from law to pharmacy before I realized you could actually go to school to be a librarian. This has been a perfect fit for me, because I am constantly learning about every different subject through the different research topics that I help students with. My takeaway and something I share with other students is that finding out what you enjoy for a career may not always be outlined for you on a college degree plan or something any of your peers are doing. I fell into this by talking to "mentors" I looked up to and reflecting on what I enjoyed (books, visiting the public library)!