Libraries are like a second home to me. As an undergraduate at Oberlin College, the library was my preferred place of study. I spent long and often late hours there consulting the collections, browsing the bookshelves, and furiously typing out assignments on one of the few publicly available computers. When I wasn’t working at the library, I was working at the library—my student job was in the acquisitions department, slipping tattle-tape in the spines of newly cataloged books, and more rewardingly making friends with the staff. I didn’t realize at the time how these experiences would foretell the long arc of my career path, which now finds me the interim director of a very similar library.
Like Oberlin, Bowdoin has a strong sense of community, and the library is a nexus, bringing together students, faculty, staff, and visitors. There is a warmth to this library, fueled by the enthusiasms of our remarkable staff and the shared sense of wonder, discovery and curiosity that permeates Bowdoin. I cannot imagine a more wonderful library than ours, and I am deeply humbled and thankful to have this short window in which to lead it. While I have been at Bowdoin for a decade, everything suddenly feels new again.
The next few months will surely be a time of extraordinary transition for all of us. In addition to continuing to adapt to near daily changes in teaching, learning, and research wrought by AI, the library’s facilities are a point of primary discussion as the College considers its next campus master plan and envisions its future. I’m excited to learn and grow with the entire library staff as we move forward with our work of advancing the pursuit of knowledge and encouraging opportunities for meaningful connection while embracing the opportunities for change and growth afforded by this particular moment in Bowdoin’s history.
We are launching The Biblio File newsletter to keep you more closely informed about the work of the Library, from our future plans to new collections available right now. My hope is for all of you to feel as comfortable and welcome in this library as I do—it is, after all, your library, too.
All the best,
Kat Stefko
Interim Director of the Bowdoin College Library