Chloe Lanham, MLIS student at the Department of Library and Information Science, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).
What inspired you to study in an LIS program?
In 2020, I received an oral history internship at J. Murrey Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte in the Special Collections and University Archives department when I was in undergrad. During this internship, I processed and created metadata for over 50 born-digital oral history interviews. This internship, and my supervisor, introduced me to librarianship, specifically archives and special collections, and after excelling in the position I decided to get my MLIS and pursue a career in this field. I love the technical aspects of the work, but also the creative and service aspects as well.
My minor in undergrad was in Women’s and Gender Studies. Because of this, my supervisor sent me “From Human Rights to Feminist Ethics: Radical Empathy in the Archives” by Caswell and Cifor. Social justice is a personal motivator for me and this article, and the critical librarianship movement, was confirmation of my interest in going to library school.
What part(s) of your program are you enjoying/have you enjoyed?
My favorite parts of my program are when I can get hands-on experience with library standards and software. I’m aware that many library skills are learned on the job, but I want to set myself up for success (i.e., getting a job). I also enjoy when I can employ a critical lens on articles, textbooks, and real-life events.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the practical experience I’ve gained during my program. I’m a graduate assistant for the Information, Research, and Library Science (IRLS) department at UNCG. I work as a Special Collections Assistant in the Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) at UNCG processing and digitizing analog materials. I’m also doing my capstone internship this semester at SCUA as well where I’m processing new donations to a legacy collection and updating the finding aid. As a full-time student, I really want to get as much practical experience as I can. I’m excited to get a job in archives and special collections after graduation.
What are you most looking forward to in your future career?
I’m looking forward to doing research. I’m interested in archiving social movements, reparative archiving, and community archives.
What’s something you’ve read recently that you’ve enjoyed?
I read One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig recently. I plan on reading the sequel soon. Fantasy romance is my favorite subgenre.
Do you have a website and/or social media account(s) that you’d like to share?
Here is my LinkedIn profile.
Anything else you’d like to share about yourself?
Outside of school, I crochet, read tarot, and trap/neuter/return (TNR) feral cats.