Adrienne always saw University Libraries as the pinnacle of libraries and never imagined she could work here, let alone be on the faculty; but that all changed when she was hired as the Library Info Specialist for Centennial Library in 2014.
Adrienne is an Albuquerque native and a UNM alum. She received her Bachelors in University Studies and had ideas of working in the non-profit sector, but soon realized that it was not what she quite had imagined. It was not until she began volunteering at the Main Public Library in downtown Albuquerque that she started her Librarian career. As a volunteer she would create story time crafts for the children. In 2003, she was hired on by the city as a librarian and worked there for ten years. 
In 2015 Adrienne became the Library Services Coordinator for reference and Information services. In this position, Adrienne helped students one-on-one at the reference desk and through the library chat service. Recently, Adrienne made the shift from staff member to faculty, when she was hired as the First Year Experience Librarian in March of this year. Adrienne describes her role as being a “blended position”: she helps with library outreach by conducting research clinics to help students with assignments, she teaches First Year Experience classes that focus on college transition, and she works with UNM departments such as University College and student success programs. Adrienne loves working with the students; she loves hearing students’ process for finding research topics and loves to see them engaged with what they are learning about.
When asked what the biggest change has been in becoming a faculty member, Adrienne says that the evaluation process is much different, but she enjoys learning about tenure and being able to learn from her peers and other faculty members.
A current project Adrienne has been working on with Learning Services is redesigning the OILS 320 curriculum to provide an online format of the class. Through this project, she is learning about the best methods for online teaching and different course designs for e-learning. An ongoing project that Adrienne conducts for herself is finding the best methods to teach. In her classes she is always trying new learning techniques to see how students respond. “The class is a supportive environment for experimenting with new ideas and theories.”
Outside of work, Adrienne loves to spend her free time hiking, camping, and bird watching in the Sandia Mountains and the Bosque. Bird watching has allowed her to look at Albuquerque and the world differently because of the awareness of the different species of birds. Adrienne also loves to watch her 12-year-old daughter play soccer and loves going to concerts with her; recently they went to see Hozier.
A goal of Adrienne’s is always to travel more. Adrienne is scuba certified and hopes to scuba dive in places such as Cozumel and Guatemala one day. A weekly goal is to listen to as many podcasts as possible such as Reply All, You’re Wrong About…, and Hit Parade.
Adrienne loves that her position facilitates the ability to work with so many departments within CUL&LS. She is able to learn from so many different people: students, faculty, and staff.
Image 1: Adrienne's Cat, Curtis
Image 2: Adrienne and her daughter, Mena, horseback riding in Canyon de Chelly
Image 3: Adrienne bird watching in Monterrey, Mexico.
0 Comments.