Stony Brook University’s English Department has quite the knack for weaving itself into Dana Haugh’s life. Dana graduated from the English program in 2010, and it was a conversation with a SBU English Professor that inspired her to return to school for her Masters in Library Science after she became dissatisfied with her career in marketing. Now, she’s back at Stony Brook University as a Web Services Librarian, and she works directly with the department’s faculty and students as their library liaison. I recently spoke with Dana about her experience at Stony Brook, her love for literature, and the countless things librarians are responsible for at the University.
Librarians are always available to meet with students and assist them with their research.
Tim Fitzpatrick: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today. I’m sure the beginning of the semester, as well as the weeks leading up to it, are fairly hectic at a campus library. Can you describe to our readers your responsibilities as a Stony Brook University Librarian?
Dana Haugh: Sure! In my primary role as a Web Services Librarian, I am solely responsible for designing, developing, and managing the library’s web presences. That includes everything you see on this website but also the design and management of library research guides and some of the promotional materials you see on social media. In addition to my primary role, I also do things more traditionally associated with librarianship. For instance, I’m the library liaison to the English department and Program for Writing and Rhetoric, which means I’m the point person for EGL/PWR students, faculty, and staff when they have research questions or inquiries about those subjects.
I also:
– develop the library’s monograph collection by selecting titles that are relevant to EGL/PWR research
– teach information literacy/ library instruction for undergraduate and graduate courses
– provide on-the-fly reference help on the NRR reference desk during the semester (and virtual reference help any time!)
Add to that all the requirements for tenure-track faculty (librarians are faculty status at SBU) like service, publishing, and professional development and you’ve got yourself a busy schedule! In short, yes, it can get a bit hectic!
TF: Was becoming a librarian your initial plan when you began your undergraduate degree at Stony Brook, and if not, what drew you to Stony Brook’s English Program?
DH: Not at all! I entered SBU thinking I would be a marine biologist or an astronomer. Calculus quickly squashed those dreams. After realizing the hard sciences were not in my future, I decided to take a Russian & American literature class. Because, why not? I’ve always been a voracious reader and I hoped the class would reinvigorate my undergraduate experience. And it did! I dove head-first into the English program and am so glad I did.
TF: Besides Russian & American Literature, were there any other genres or English courses you particularly enjoyed?
DH: Yes! When I first started the major, I took a few different survey classes but I ultimately fell in love with British literature and the classics. My first 300-level English course was Milton with Benedict Robinson, which sparked my obsession with Paradise Lost. I also studied Chaucer with Stephen Spector, the Romantics with Peter Manning, and Renaissance literature with Ayesha Ramachandran. I even took an Old English language and literature class with Joaquin Martinez-Pizarro that was awesome (hello Beowulf!) and very helpful for when I later read The Canterbury Tales. Basically, if it was a classic or an epic, I made it my mission to study it.
Dana was invited to Beijing in November 2017 to present her work on Digital Librarianship.
Aside from English classes, I dabbled a little in the sciences and art history. If you can, I highly recommend taking Search for Life in the Universe (AST 248) and Mystery of Matter (PHY 313). Very cool classes and you don’t have to be in the sciences to understand what they are talking about!
TF: That’s a lot of classic literature. Why do you think it interests you so much?
DH: Probably because the classics are so foundational. Once you start reading them, you see the connections everywhere – literature, film, art, philosophy, history, etc. I couldn’t get enough of them!
TF: Besides satisfying your hunt for more things to read, what else do you feel the English degree provided you, particularly in terms of how you apply it to your professional career?
DH: Learning how to write papers on a variety of topics (not just English subjects) helped me a lot, both in my graduate work and in my professional career. It’s amazing how often you come across poor grammar and spelling mistakes in the real world!
SBU also taught me how to stay organized and manage deadlines. I was, and still am, a ‘wait-until-the-last-minute’ kind of writer, but I learned to plan accordingly. I knew that if a 5-7 page paper was due at 2pm on Tuesday, it would take me all of Monday night, and possibly Tuesday morning, to complete it, so I would finish my other assignments over the weekend. I could have written the paper over the weekend, but I write best under pressure. Basically, I did what my professors warned us not to do (sorry everybody), but I planned on doing it that way. It’s just about finding what work-style best suits you and managing your deadlines around it. Taking 4-5 upper division EGL courses a semester definitely helped me find mine!
Also, since I’m currently a librarian at SBU and my subject specialties are English and PWR, literally just attending SBU as an undergrad prepared me for my current position. Also, I’m the subject librarian for English because I studied English here. Inception-level stuff right there.
Dana shows off her swag at the Library Staff Retreat in 2016.
TF: What did you find the job market was like upon graduating?
DH: Not great. I graduated in December 2010 and the job market was still recovering from the recession. I was working part-time at my local public library so I didn’t feel any immediate urgency to secure a full-time job. I did a paid, part-time summer internship at a small business to pick up some experience with marketing and copywriting and was able to use that to eventually convince someone to hire me full-time. I landed that position (web marketing) in September 2011 so it took me about nine months of casual browsing to find a job.
TF: What was the catalyst for your decision to pursue a Masters in Library Science?
DH: I had been working full-time in the marketing industry for about two years when I decided to apply for my MLS. I had become so frustrated with the marketing industry— the lies, the exploitation of consumers, the work environment, etc. I couldn’t stand being a part of an industry designed to rip people off. I quit my full-time job the week before I started graduate classes and it was the best move ever.
TF: What kind of advice would you give to current SBU students, especially English majors?
DH: Talk to your professors! They are wonderful people who just want to help. I credit eventually becoming an academic librarian to a conversation I had with one of my professors (Ayesha Ramachandran) who opened my eyes to that possibility. Also, attend some of the cool events that the English department offers every semester. And, duh, COME TO THE LIBRARY! Librarians are also great people and we want to help you succeed too!
