Meet Elizabeth, one of our new librarians!

In a crazy coincidence all three of the careers I’ve had have been involved with the organization and presentation of information: graphic artist, English as a second language instructor, and now, academic librarian. Although I loved my first career, I could see the huge impact technology was starting to have, and knew I would have to retrain whether or not I stayed in the field. I started taking Japanese language lessons, thinking a new language could be the key to new possibilities, and ta-daa, in less than a year I was living in Japan and teaching English to high schoolers.

I continued as an ESL teacher when I came back to the states, but eventually decided to go back to school to complete my graduate degree, finishing not long after the Great Recession – what great timing! I count myself lucky to have found a new job within a year, and even luckier to have eventually made my way to Idaho and Boise State. This area was never on my radar, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by all there is to see and do.

I’m currently liaison to political science, public policy, community and regional planning as well as outreach coordinator for the library. My research interests tend toward issues of diversity, inclusion and cross cultural competence, so I’ve enjoyed working with International Student Services and various diversity initiatives across campus. From my career overview you can see that I’m dedicated to the proposition that I’ll be a lifelong learner. It’s led me to some great adventures, including this latest at Boise State. I look forward to all that it’s sure to teach me.