By: Matthew Ciszek

Angela Davis

Did you know that the School of Engineering (SOE) at Penn State Behrend is ranked in the Top 50 Undergraduate Schools in Engineering according to “U.S. News and World Report”? And that the SOE is the first engineering school in the U.S. to be co-located with an AACSB accredited school of business? And that it offers the only undergraduate software engineering degree University-wide at Penn State? And that the Plastics Engineering Technology program at Behrend is one of only a handful of such programs in the country and at 10,500 square feet, the plastics processing lab is the largest educational plastics laboratory in the country?

As a result of enrollment growth and additional specializations in the Behrend School of Engineering, it has become increasingly clear that a librarian with a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) background would be an excellent addition to Lilley Library. In a fortunate turn of events, Angela Davis, Engineering Liaison Librarian, was interested in joining the library faculty at one of the regional campuses. When Matt Ciszek, library director at the John M. Lilley Library, learned of Angela’s passion for undergraduate education and her desire to participate in reference and instruction in a “generalist” model, it seemed like a perfect opportunity on a number of levels.

Thus, on January 2, 2019, Angela Davis will officially begin her new role as an Engineering Librarian at Penn State Behrend. Angela is a native of nearby Buffalo, NY and is a graduate of the LIS program at the University at Buffalo. She shares (with Matt Ciszek) a love of all things Buffalo (it’s more than just wings!). Angela will complete the Fall 2018 semester at the Engineering Library at University Park and transition to Penn State Behrend for the start of the spring 2019 semester.

On a recent visit to campus Angela had the opportunity to meet the interim director of the School of Engineering while on a campus tour. Matt Ciszek states, “When he heard that she was an engineer, and a librarian, and was interested in joining us at Behrend, his eyes lit up, and I knew she would be an excellent fit for our campus. We look forward to her arrival!”