We chatted with Dean Anne Langley and asked her a few questions so you can get to know her better.
How did you get into libraries?
I worked as a student assistant in a Library as an undergraduate and watched librarians and the role they played in academia and saw myself being a part of that.
What do you love most about working in a library?
Having access to all the information I could possibly want.
Why was it important to you that having fun be a part of the values for the Library?
People are more productive and creative when they are having fun and in order to solve the challenges facing academia and libraries we have to be productive and creative.
What are you working on now that you want us to know about?
UConn has a new Provost and we have been working together on several initiatives including finding new models for accessing information, particularly journals. Since UConn also has a new President, we are working together to ensure that we incorporate their goals into building the right library for UConn.
In the midst of the pandemic, what do you do to take your mind off the crazy things happening in the world right now?
I am slightly addicted to BTS (the Bangtan Boys or Bulletproof Boy Scouts, is a seven-member South Korean boy band) and painting in my art studio.
What is a positive that has come from this pandemic?
Realizing how amazing our staff is under pressure and how they have stepped up in their game to support research and teaching at UConn.
What’s your most used emoji?
Thumbs up.
What was your first job?
Short-order cook at a local diner.
Do you have a crazy library story to share?
In my first professional library position I got in trouble for having too much fun date stamping the journals and organizing chair races.
What’s your go-to productivity trick?
Using brightly colored pens and paper.
What’s one professional skill you’re currently working on?
Dismantling racism.
Do you have a hidden talent?
Patience.
If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
Finding something good about anything.