What subjects will you be in charge of at Hamon? Which academic departments at SMU do these subjects fall under?
I am the Communication Arts librarian, covering Communication Studies, Journalism, Advertising, and Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship (AMAE). These are all programs that are part of the Meadows School, though most of those departments are housed over in Umphrey Lee.
Why did you choose to be a librarian?
Having been a private teacher for many years before becoming a librarian, I was very interested in having a career that allowed me to make an impact with students outside of a traditional classroom. I love being a librarian because it allows me the flexibility to respond to the changing needs of a community. I get to work directly with students, and I also get to work behind the scenes.
Tell us a little about your educational background and career.
I got my Masters in Library and Information Science from UNT in 2013. Having done my practicum at SMU in the Norwick Center for Digital Services, I continued working there creating metadata for a few months after graduation. I also worked for the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth library, doing collection management, reference, and cataloging. Up until starting here at SMU, I was the head librarian at the Art Institute of Fort Worth, a commercial arts college. I worked with students getting degrees in Advertising, Graphic Design, Fashion Marketing and Management, and Media Arts. We were a small library, and I had to be the jack-of-all-trades—reference, management, collection development, instruction, you name it.
What aspect of working at SMU are you most excited about?
I am really looking forward to digging in with the kind of advanced research that students at SMU are expected to accomplish. The subjects I cover here at Hamon are pretty wide ranging with very different informational needs, and I love how diverse of a skill set is required from me to support those departments. I am always interested in understanding all of the tools used for research in a field, not just the ones provided by the library. What a cool set of subjects to become immersed in!
Have you found any particularly interesting holdings at Hamon that you’d like to share?
Some may not be aware that we have a collection of books on fashion design at Hamon. Given my connection with the journalism department that offers a degree in Fashion Media, I am looking forward to collecting more materials in that area.
What other expertise or hobbies do you have?
Before becoming a librarian, I was a professional musician and teacher for eleven years. I have two degrees in music performance, and still play the oboe professionally. I guess that doesn’t really count as a hobby per se, since it is a lot of work to maintain your chops (you music majors know what I’m talking about). I really love my career now, but being a musician is still an important part of who I am. I love that I get to have the career I want and still have music be a part of my life. That being said, I feel right at home working in Hamon Arts Library.
Contact Megan: mheuer@smu.edu | 214-768-1856