Featured Staff Member: Carl Croushore
What do you do at the library?
I work in Access Services. Specifically, I am part of the Memorial Library Circulation Office team, where we assist patrons with the processing of fines and patron records; we process patron hold requests and the charging & discharging of materials; and we assist patrons with item location. We also aid the ILL team by processing ILL materials for patron holds.
What is your specialty?
I’m the trainer and supervisor of the student employees that service the card window at Memorial Library, where patrons can get day passes and receive borrowing or reference cards. I also coordinate the faculty study spaces and conduct the missing-in-transit material searches.
What brought you to your job at Memorial Library?
Rather ask, “Why do I work at a library?” I’ve actually worked in libraries since middle school, where I volunteered as a library aide—something I continued through high school. I’ve always loved books, and for me, being in a library was like some kids are in a candy store. As a college student, I worked in the Arts & Humanities Library at Penn State, and later became full-time staff in the Lending Services department of Penn State’s Pattee & Paterno Library. I still love books, especially well-made volumes, so I have to admit that the continuing growth of material being transferred to electronic media takes some getting used to. I imagine that a Nook or a Kindle is easier to move than a personal library!
What library resource or service would you like to recommend?
The combination of Reference Services, MadCat/Forward and Inter-Library Loan is a boon to researchers using the UW-Madison libraries. The interconnectivity of the three provides a vast resource for researchers looking for either general or specific research materials.
What is something about you that few people know?
I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts, with concentrations in metalsmithing and ceramics. I also retired from the Army in 2002 after 22 years of service.