intros

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!

Hello Class! I’m Moneeka, and I am excited to begin this semester with you all!

I am an Air Force Veteran currently living in Dayton, Ohio. I originally hail from Flint, Michigan. I wear many hats – a devoted wife and proud mother of three girls, and an avid reader – with a goal to conquer 100 books this year! I am a passionate fan of the fantasy and paranormal romance genres. If you’re on the Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer Armentrout train, climb aboard, and let’s talk!

Dayton’s Musical Heritage: Exploring Funk Legends

Although I’m from Flint, I appreciate that Dayton is a city bursting with culture and history, and one of my favorite aspects is its rich musical heritage. It’s home to funk music legends like Zapp and Roger (“Computer Love”), Lakeside (“Fantastic Voyage”), and the Ohio Players (“Love Rollercoaster”).

Behind and Beyond the Shelves

I have the privilege of working for the Dayton Metro Library system, the largest in my county. I am enrolled in FSU’s Master of Science in Library and Information Studies program. The classes I’ve taken thus far have provided great insight into my everyday operations in the library.

Beyond my library role, I’m a part-time freelance graphic designer. One of the things that particularly interests me about this class is the opportunity to learn new programs. I’m excited about using WordPress, which is a fresh challenge for me, as I’ve predominantly designed websites on Wix. A couple of my favorites that I’ve designed are Candle and Cole, and Serene Counseling and Wellness.

Exploring this new platform opens up exciting possibilities for my design work and allows me to expand my skill set even further.

My name is Tianhao Liang, and I’m delighted to share my story with you! I come from Shenyang, a city in China known for its snowscapes. Two years ago, I embarked on an adventure, a significant leap from the familiar streets of Shenyang to the diverse environment of the United States. Here, I pursued my graduate study in Media and Communication. It’s hard to believe how quickly these two years have flown by, and now I find myself in the final semester of this incredible journey.

To fulfill my dream of becoming a filmmaker, I have continuously honed my skills in video production and gained an internship as a video editor at LA Weekly Asia. Recently, my documentary Golden Boy and TV show Star Chasing were shortlisted in three film festivals. This recognition is meaningful to me – it’s a validation of my efforts and a sign that my dream of becoming a filmmaker isn’t as distant as it once seemed.

My biggest passions are photography and vlogging. I often take my Nikon z7 ii to capture moments of my friends and landscapes. My friends even call me “Best Friend Photographer.” Additionally, I have a habit of documenting my life as an international student in the U.S., because I believe revisiting these videos in a few years will be exciting!

Crafting my own stories and blogs in the LIS5313: Digital Media: Concepts and Production class is quite attractive to me!

I am eager to delve deeper into web design, a field that is both novel and fascinating to me. Additionally, I believe it’s essential to gain a thorough understanding of copyright issues before I graduate.

I’m ready to embark on this media journey.

Join me on this adventure!

“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”

– Albert Einstein

Music Teacher Turned to the “Light Side”

My career has been a strange adventure, and if you would have told me that I would be working as a library media specialist at some point in my life I would have probably not even know what that was. Alas, here I am, enjoying this new journey I am on.

I live in Mandan North Dakota, and have been born in raised in the state. I studied Instrumental Music Education at Dickinson State University, on the western edge of North Dakota and taught music in public school and in juvenile corrections for 14 years. My experiences working with juveniles in corrections were unique and wonderful and taught me to think outside the box and really think about how music and other subject areas are really tied together. My students and I created some great work together. Check out one of our original songs. Though I no longer teach music, I still enjoy creating, performing and writing music. My 12 year old daughter and I also published a fantasy novel a year ago called “Book of Quilia”, which we started writing together when she was 7. We enjoy writing together and are working on a sequel!

I am currently a Library Media Specialist for the largest school district in the state of North Dakota at one of the largest schools called Solheim Elementary School. I teach grades K-5, and am very grateful to work in a district that has 1-1 devices. I am looking forward to gaining new skills and ideas of how I can use digital media to improve experiences and learning for my students and for myself. I look forward to learning from everyone in the class!

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.”

Mansfield Park, Jane Austen

Hello all! My name is Michaela and I am from the Bay Area in sunny California. I am in my second semester at FSU pursuing my MS in Information Science. My hope is to become either an academic or school librarian. I am currently an instructional aide in a special day elementary classroom as well as a library aide at a public library.

Almost every morning before going to work I swing by the Dutch Bros two minutes away to get my needed coffee. My go to order is a double chocolate iced mocha. I am almost always listening to an audiobook when I get a chance, and one of my goals for 2024 is to read 80 books (I have finished 6 so far)! Over the winter break I went to different California counties with my friends to get library cards to add to my Libby account. This is how I can afford listening to so many audiobooks. One of my favorite authors is Jane Austen and I love listening to the podcast Pod and Prejudice.

I live with my family, which includes three cats: Ranger, Henry and Benedict. I also have three younger brothers (Grant, Jack and Ethan), two that I live with and one that lives in Oregon. When I am with my brothers I like to watch movies, go on walks downtown and take trips to Disneyland whenever we can. I will force my brothers to listen to Taylor Swift, London Grammar or other music on my various playlists when we are driving around.

I also love to travel. My most exciting adventure is when I almost got stuck in London during March 2020 with my childhood friend. We made it back to California just in time for the lockdown. My favorite form of travel is going on Disney cruises. I love being able to curl up with a good book and watch the ocean pass by, and also win Disney trivia.

I am so excited for this semester and this class. I am interested to learn on how to incorporate digital media into the field of library science. I am excited to be creative with the different digital project and improve my skills.

Greetings from Orlando aka the House of Mouse!

My name is Linnea and I’ve lived in Orlando for 8 years now – which is the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere! As an Army brat I’ve lived a bit all over which definitely sparked my wanderlust from a young age. Even now, I’m always looking for the next travel destination and adventure which this year means a trip to Japan!

I’ve always wanted to visit Japan in part because I’m a HUGE nerd – comic books, anime, sci-fi/fantasy, KDramas – you name it and I’ve probably read/watch/consumed it to an alarming extent. I also collect action figures and other memorabilia so when I tell you I’m hyped to visit Akihabara in Tokyo you better believe it’s to find some exclusive anime merch. Right now you can catch me on Duolingo trying my best to learn some Japanese before my trip so I don’t embarrass myself too badly.

When I’m not geeking out over the latest MCU movie or sci-fi novel, I’m trying my hand at any number of hobbies including baking, biking, tie-dye, rock tumbling, drawing, painting, bead work, crocheting (which has thus far been an epic fail), and origami. In fact, during COVID I made 1000 paper cranes! I’m also an amateur foodie “influencer” on Instagram with a slight obsession for boba tea – if you’ve ever been to Orlando you know we have more boba shops than Starbucks! Orlando was also just voted best foodie city in America and I’m telling you, we more than deserve the title.

It’s probably not very surprising given my interests that my career has also focused on intellectual property. In fact that was my actual career – I was an intellectual property attorney advising clients on trademarks and copyright! And while I love IP (and will talk your ear off about IP), I didn’t necessarily love being a lawyer hence the decision to pursue my Master’s degree. As I explore what comes next for me, I’ve particularly enjoyed the creative courses offered by FSU – last semester I launched a whole social media campaign in LIS 5385 which was a great experience! I wanted to take that a step further and learn more about creating digital content and Digital Media seemed like the perfect fit. I’m excited to work on each of the labs this semester and am particularly looking forward to developing my video editing skills.