Jane Barrager

Hey everyone! My name is Pritish. I am an international student born and raised in India. I have been living in Tallahassee since fall 2023. I am pursuing my master’s degree in information technology from Florida State University. I worked as a project engineer for a multinational company in India for a year after I graduated.

I like to play and learn guitar I took this as a hobby during my undergraduate years. I wanted to learn how to play guitar ever since I was a kid but I did not got the chance to do so. During the COVID lockdown, I started to learn guitar on a regular basis. I also like to play video games especially open-world games as it is always fun to explore and find the various things developers have added to open-world games.

I also like to watch movies especially comedy movies or movies from Marvel Cinematic Universe or DC Cinematic Universe. Here is the list top 100 comedy movies to watch. I have always liked photography and I always wanted to learn cinematography. I hope to learn basic image editing and video editing to enhance my photography skills.

There is no Frigate like one’s Life
Whose winds fill up our sails,
Nor any Detour like the Strife
Of AIDS and other’s AILS –
Such events can change our tack,
Oft’ cause our boats to luff,
Yet, still surprising is that puff
That takes us quite aback–

(The above is penned with the sincerest apologies to Emily Dickinson)

Things naval and sailing have always been part of my life; consequently, sailing seems an apt metaphor, as my experiences are strongly intertwined with unexpected life events impacting my navigation. After taking my Bachelor’s degree in the Humanities, I chose a large city with bright lights as my home. Though unsure what career to pursue, it quickly became clear that there were social exigencies that needed tending. I joined the forces combating the 90’s AIDS pandemic and fought in both establishment and anti-establishment organizations to help ameliorate the crisis our society was facing. I found an outlet for frustration by joining ACT UP, a practical but slow-going remedy by engaging in grassroots party politics, and to answer the call to Tikkun Olam, I started an AIDS care-giving team at my synagogue. About the time things began to look more hopeful in the Pandemic, I decided to pursue graduate studies in social work and began working in the mental health field at a major university. But in my last year of studies, my father experienced a major health event. I put my goals on hold and moved, so that I could provide care. My parents had retired to a remote hobby farm in the rural south. I was sure my intellectual life had come to an end. I found a job working as a policy analyst for a state child welfare agency and discovered a library system with amazingly intellectually stimulating programing. After my father’s death, my earlier pursuits seemed to belong to another place and time. Indeed, they had been a destined port for a different sailor than the one I currently was. So, I treated myself to nearly three years of utter joy by pursuing an advanced degree in English. Next, I “adjuncted” around a while, then taught on the Navajo Reservation. Finally, profoundly missing the hobby of sailing, I accepted a teaching job near the Florida Gulf Coast. Because library programming made an impact on the quality of my life, I am interested in helping create (electronic and other) programming for a public library, so here I am.

Over the Winter Break I wandered into a used-book store and happily discovered the complete set of Patrick O’Brian’s books, Master and Commander, which tell about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. These are not just adventure- or action-packed, but exceedingly literate; they read closer to Jane Austen in style than other texts belonging to the adventure genre. As such, they combine two of my favorite passions in life: great literature and sailing. If you are unfamiliar with them, read up about them on the publisher’s website.

https://wwnorton.com/books/master-and-commander/

When I need a taste of the real thing, I go to the Clearwater Sailing Center

https://ccsc1001.clubexpress.com/

and rent a Sunfish. These little boats are very light and fast; this often makes for very wet sailing, as they are more than easy to capsize.

Hi everyone! My name is Carole (“with an E!”) Lemley. I am a Tallahassee native, born to a high school English teacher two days before Christmas. You could say that my love of books and learning started before I did.

I completed my undergraduate degree in English Literature at FSU in 2010, returning to Tallahassee from Valdosta State University when the economy collapsed in 2009. Although I worked part time at Special Collections both at Valdosta State and at FSU, I needed secure, full time work. Fortunately, a paraprofessional opportunity opened up in the media center of a public high school here in Tallahassee, where I have been since the 2013-2014 school year. While I have always had a passion for books and libraries, my time as a media assistant has helped me focus my career goals on school libraries. Now I am in my second year of the MSI program and also earning a graduate certificate in School Librarian Leadership.

Full time work along with grad school certainly keeps me busy, but I do have some other interests in my “spare” time. I enjoy watching Major League Baseball (Go Rays!) and try to attend at least one game in person each season. I also like to travel, especially to colder more urban climates such as Chicago and NYC, and I love attending concerts and live theatre performances. I’m an active member of The Episcopal Church (my local church was founded in the late 1820s) and a happy dog mom to my lab mix Sam who’s been with me since August of 2020. 

When I applied for my graduate program, my school district was still recovering from the pandemic. The library was closed; students could see what print and digital resources were available, but they did not have the guidance of a librarian to help them. As we have opened back up and more and more digital resources are available, it seems even more important to have a school librarian who can support both students and teachers in finding and using digital media.

One aspect of this class that interests me is learning more about copyleft and fair use media. Not only will this help me enhance my own media projects, but I will be better prepared to help future students use open source media in their own creative aspirations. I also hope to gain the skills to solve technology challenges I may have with producing and using digital media, and be able to provide technical support for students and my colleagues in my future role as a school media specialist.

Hello, my name is Alexa Lowry I am from Pembroke Pines, Florida but I moved to Tallahassee when I started undergrad in 2016 and decided that this was my new home. This is the third degree that I have pursued at Florid State University. My first degree was a Bachelors of Science in Information Communication Technology and minor in business. When I graduated I decided that I just wasnt done yet so I got a job with the University Business Administrators as an HR and accounting apprentice and began geting my masters. My second degree I obtained in the Fall of 2022 is a MAsters of Science in Communicatins and Media Studies.

Now I am working as the Marketing Coordinator for the Information Technology Services (ITS) department at FSU and in my second semester of the Information Specialist program. In my roll with ITS I work on multiple different areas of the communications process. My main rolls involve project communicatoins, from building out marketing plans and executing them by writing, publishing, printing, sending, creating and more communications materials. The next major part of my job is that I handle our social media accounts and content. ITS has a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and recently we created a LinkedIn.

We recently started a Podcast that I host where we talk about campus technology. I also have created other series like a “things to know” monthly video series and student spotlights. While the mian focus of my job is marketing communications I also have two interns who I supervise and some other miscellaneous projects such as making edits to our websit, running our news website, crisis communications and stepping in when needed with other projects. My recent assistance with our website redesign project is part of why I am excited about the lessons I will be learning in this class. From the content I create to my newer intrests in website design I think this class will help me learn new skills I can use in my position.

Outside of work and school I love spending time with friends, playing video games, cooking and going to the movies. I hve AMC A-list so I go to the movies every week if not more than once. I also have an obsession with candles to the point where I have a whole cabinet filled with candles for every season. There is one more thing I enjoy more than all these things though and that is my cat Olive! She was a covid kitten so we are super attatched. She is the most loving black kitty who loves people.

Hi everyone! My name is Hannah Paul. I currently live in Orlando, Florida, about 15 minutes from Disney World, when I-4 is not being evil. So on a regular day it is about a 30 minute drive for me to get to the theme parks when I want to hang out there on the weekends or after work. 

I currently work at Dr. Phillips High School teaching 10th grade English. This is my 7th year of teaching, although my first in 10th grade. I spent the last 6 years teaching 9th graders, so there were parts of my job I felt like I was learning to do all over again with new benchmarks and new content.

To relax I like to spend my time petting my cat, Benvolio, and watching reality TV. (Anybody else excited for the new season of Vanderpump Rules?) Even though high school starts early, I like to wake up with enough time to read and enjoy my coffee, giving me a solid moment of peace before the insanity of the teaching day. I predominantly enjoy fantasy and science-fiction books, but I also do not hesitate to pick up just about any book that sounds good to me. I am currently reading a suspense novel.

I began the Master of Science in Information program here at FSU last summer and this is my second round at FSU. I graduated in 2015 with a BA in English Creative Writing. I am taking this course, because I want to expand my digital media skills. My eventual goal is to transition out of the classroom into a media specialist position, before moving out of the public school system into a librarian position.

Hey y’all! My name is Jordan Tracy, and I am originally from the Acadiana Region, also known as Cajun Country: Lafayette, LA. I have been living in Pensacola, FL, for almost 4 years now with my husband and our two pups, Penny and River. We also live about 20 minutes from my favorite place in the world…the beach. The biggest culture shock is not having the day off for Mardi Gras. I graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (Geaux Cajuns!) in 2015 with a bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in photography. This is my very last semester here at FSU! After I graduate, my goal is to become a Youth Services librarian.

My public library career began in 2018 when I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life. Could I have made a career with my photography degree by doing freelance work? Maybe. But I felt I was losing passion, and I started to see it more as a hobby. It was when I saw a job opening in the circulation department at my hometown library. I thought, “I like books, and it will be a pretty chill job.” Oh boy, was I wrong. That job completely changed my perception of working in libraries. I cringe when someone asks, “Oh, you work in a library? You must read so many books!” I worked at the library for almost three years until my husband and I had to pack up and move to Florida. He got accepted to work on a PhD through UF, and that inspired me to get my MLIS degree. I currently work at the West Florida Public Library system in Escambia County in the STEAM department (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), where I get to do fun and educational programs for our wonderful community!

I like to consider myself an old soul. In my free time, I love to listen to thrillers on audiobook while I cross stitch. I also love going to the beach to collect seashells, going on nature walks, and identifying birds. My favorite things are The Office, Taylor Swift, crawfish, The Sims, iced coffee, and books. Looking forward to learning new skills in this class!

You can find me adding books to my ever-growing TBR list on Goodreads!

They say the third time’s the charm, but I’m really hoping to get lucky on the second.

Hi! My name is Leesa Love and this is not my first go-around at Florida State, nor is librarianship my first career path. I first attended FSU from 2013 to 2017 while pursuing a bachelor’s in English (Editing Writing and Media). Between classes I would spend part of my time running The Kudzu Review and First Book FSU, painting faces with the Lady Spirithunters, singing with the Women’s Glee Club, and reshelving books in Strozier’s Special Collections department.

While I had aspirations to become a book editor, I landed squarely in web content marketing after graduation—not the most glamorous or ethical industry to be in, unfortunately, but I’ll spare you the details. Despite having some success as a writer and editor in this arena, the events of 2020 left me—like many others—discontent with the path I was on and seeking desperately for more meaningful work. I spent a lot of time thinking about what that would look like for me and reflecting on jobs I’ve had in the past, which inevitably led me back to the library. I had always looked back on my time with FSU Libraries fondly, and the skills I’d obtained since then aligned in such a way that pivoting to librarianship just felt right.

Fast forward to now: I’m in my final semester in the Master of Science in Information program and have the pleasure of working as a graduate assistant in the Office of Digital Research and Scholarship at FSU Libraries. Much of the work I do relates to digital humanities, which includes performing consultations for the CreateFSU program.

Upon graduating, I hope to secure a position that involves digital/information/media literacy, instruction, and student engagement at an academic library. I consider myself fairly comfortable with technology after working in web content for several years; I’m also a big fan of podcasts and podcasting (you can check out the podcast I produced with my partner, OSTs and Heartbreak). That being said, what I’m looking forward to most in this class is learning more about photo and video editing, particularly composition.

Beyond my professional life, I’m a bit of a hobby collector. Some of my favorites include reading, singing, and just about any DIY project or craft I can teach myself. When it’s not absolutely boiling outside, I love to roller skate and explore the walking trails all around my home in South Florida.

Hello Everyone!

As indicated by the title, my name is Christopher. I am writing from Ocoee, Florida, which is just outside of Orlando. I moved here from Miami when I was about six months old. I would love to return to south Florida in the future. I’ve lived here in Ocoee almost my whole life, aside from a five year spell in Gainesville, but more on that later.

I am a student in the MSI program. This is my second semester and, besides this course, I am taking Introduction to Information Policy and Grant Writing, Evaluation, and Administration. During my time in Gainesville, I studied at the University of Florida where I earned a Bachelor of Design in Architecture.

I currently work as a designer at an architecture firm. The firm I work for specializes in commercial office design, but we also dabble in hospitality and medical. I enjoy this line of work because it allows me to be creative. My favorite aspects of the job are selecting finishes, making graphics, and developing presentations.

I’m super excited to take this course as I will be able to push my media production skills further. My experience is more rooted in imagery creation, so I’m pumped to learn about audio and video creation. I hope to someday be working in a library so that I can teach people new skills (maybe even in media production).

Outside of work and school, I spend a lot of time catching up on rest or briefly entertaining the myriad of distractions (interests) I have in my life. My absolute favorite hobby of mine is thrifting. Over the past year, I got really into going to estate sales. It’s so interesting going into people’s homes and seeing how they laid out their furniture and decorated their “nests.” Of course, it’s always nice to get a new tchotchke out of the deal. Aside from that, I’m really into reading and I just started The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. I also like doing random crafts – I wouldn’t say I have a favorite medium, I just like making weird art things. Lastly, I enjoy baking, my usual go-tos are oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or banana bread, but I did make an apple pie from scratch once.

That was a little about me, I am looking forward to meeting my classmates!