Category Archives: Getting to Know You

‘Getting to know you’: Stephanie Diaz

Submitted by Andrea Pritt, information resources and services support specialist, Penn State Mont Alto Library

10390086_10102136126088200_2817891089953099234_nOriginally from the small town of Fremont, Ohio, Stephanie Diaz joined the University Libraries in August 2013. After completing her Masters in Library Science degree at the University of South Carolina she was hired as the Reference and Instruction Librarian at Penn State York. Stephanie spent two years at the York campus where her duties included bibliographic instruction as well as collection development. She recently moved to Erie, Pa., and is now the reference and instruction librarian at Penn State Erie. Stephanie’s new opportunity at the John M. Lilley Library is a welcomed relocation for her, her family and friends, and her cat, Libby.

During her time at York, Stephanie served on the Diversity Committee and helped to coordinate
events for Black History Month. She is also a new member of the University Libraries Innovation
Microgrant Program Review Committee. Outside of the university, Stephanie sits on the PaLA
Conference Planning Committee and has helped plan the upcoming PaLA poster session events.

Stephanie is a film enthusiast and, in her spare time, can often be found at the movie theater. A
few of her favorites include “Thelma & Louise,” “Forrest Gump” and “Good Will Hunting.”

‘Getting to know you’: Jane Ingold

by Barbara Kopshina, Penn State DuBois Library

If you’ve ever had questions about archiving material at your campus, Jane Ingold would be an excellent resource! An associate librarian, Jane has been working with the archives at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, for about 10 years. She has extensive knowledge of the archives which include the Behrend Family Collection, the Penn State Behrend Collection and the Hammermill Paper Company Collection. Besides library instruction, Jane counts organizing gifts that have been donated to the college over the years as one of her many duties.

The Pioneer Reunion for Penn State Erie alumni who attended the college between 1948 and 1963 is another project that Jane has contributed to. This is a two-day reunion which includes guided tours, a picnic, oral history presentations and much more. Jane has interviewed several of the alumni and shares and preserves this history through her writing. Raised in Cranesville, Erie County, Pennsylvania, she has a special connection to the area and works with many different non-profit organizations. Jane writes the newsletter for the Presque Isle Woman’s Club, which does fundraising for various charities and strives for community improvement. She also sits on the board of the Harborcreek Historical Society, another local organization that both promotes and preserves local history.

Erie Yesterday, a group of historic organizations related to Erie County, is another non-profit that Jane is involved with. The John M. Lilley Library Archives, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is one of the many consortia members that works together to promote local history among other things.

Besides genealogy, local history and charity work, Jane also finds time to spend time with her cat, Tye, who she rescued from a shelter.

‘Getting to know you’: Alexa Spigelmyer

by Andrea Pritt, Penn State Mont Alto Library

If you have gone through the library’s lifecycle within the last five years, chances are that you know Alexa Spigelmyer. Alexa joined I-Tech in January 2011 and continues in her role as an IT Support Specialist focusing on user and technology support. She has replaced hundreds of machines throughout the library, but did you know that she also builds her own computers?

Alexa PSU Libraries

Spigelmyer…builds her own computers

Alexa recently gave a presentation at the University Libraries Discovery Day on her water-cooled computer that she built…herself. A water-cooled computer is able to cool the machine’s processor and hardware more effectively, and more quietly, than a regular machine. In her spare time Alexa enjoys building computers for her family and friends, and is a hardcore dirt bike enthusiast.

Dirt biking has been a passion of Alexa’s for years. In addition to riding recreationally, she rides to assist a local non-profit organization in trail restoration. Alexa volunteers with Seven Mountains Conservation Corps (SMCC), an organization that is dedicated to preserving the surrounding Central Pennsylvania outdoors. Currently, she is serving on the board of trustees for SMCC and is an active member in the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). Alexa sits on ACM’s Special Interest Group on University and College Computing Services.

A native of Moscow, Idaho, Alexa currently resides in State College, PA with her two cats, Cosette (a granded premier in the fanciers) and Turkey, and has just adopted a Shiba Inu puppy appropriately named Jiro.

Getting to know you: Tracie Wickersham

by Barbara Kopshina, DuBois Campus Library

You may have seen Tracie Wickersham’s name before as she is part of the Commission for Women and one of the chairs for the Personal Safety and Sexual Assault Awareness Committee, but did you know that she is working towards a library degree and studied wildlife at Penn State DuBois?

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Wickersham…volunteers for Hands On Therapeutic Riding, working with children and adults with various types of disabilities

A native of Ocala, Florida, Tracie came to Warren County, Pennsylvania in 1997. She fell in love with the area and decided to stay. A friend introduced her to the wildlife program at Penn State DuBois, where she enrolled in 2004. Tracie worked two jobs while completing her associated degree, one of which was at the Penn State DuBois Campus Library. She graduated in 2006.

In 2010, Tracie joined the ILL team at University Park as an interlibrary loan support specialist II. She is in charge of article delivery on the lending side and often works with Rapid ILL requests which shoot for a 24-hour turnaround time for patrons.

Tracie is currently working toward a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in library science, from Clarion University, and has made the Dean’s list during her first two semesters. After that, she plans on obtaining a master’s degree in library science, also from Clarion University.

During her spare time, Tracie volunteers for Hands On Therapeutic Riding in Stormstown, Pa. This program helps children and adults who have various types of disabilities by utilizing horses for therapy. She also enjoys genealogy, canoeing and fishing and spending time with her husband, Mark, daughter, Kathleen, and dog, Gunner.

Getting to Know Our Library Colleagues

The University Libraries faculty and staff workforce is always evolving and if you haven’t been here long, you might only know a handful of colleagues in your department.  Even if you have been here for thirty years, we’re guessing you could still learn something new about a coworker.  With this in mind, we are starting a bi-weekly Getting to Know You column in the Library News.  Do you have a hidden talent that you’d like to share?   Have you lived in another country before?  If you would like to be featured in an upcoming Getting to Know You column or would like to nominate a fellow colleague, please contact Barb Kopshina and Andrea Pritt.   We look forward to hearing from you!