Clarksville’s New History Nerd: Richard!

This is the tenth edition of JTPL Stories: a series of interviews with library patrons, staff, and partners. Continue below to meet the faces of JTPL with our Outreach Coordinator, Aliya! Click Here to read the entire series.

Our Clarksville location has had a new librarian since September! Richard has been a great addition to the team, and we know patrons have enjoyed his friendly face and insights into history, our comic collection, and more. He recently started a new book club as well, called True Stories in STEM.

I sat down with Richard last week for a quick Q&A to help our patrons get to know him a bit better. If you have any more questions for Richard, be sure to talk to him the next time you visit the library, or comment down below this post.

Aliya: I first wanted to ask about where you’re from and why you decided to move to Indiana. You’re from New York, right?

Richard: I’m from Western New York, but I moved out this way because my wife is a professor nearby. I was looking for work near her because we’ve been long-distance for a while. We made it work, but it wasn’t really what we wanted to do. So, I was lucky that this position opened up that’s much closer to her.

I’ve really enjoyed joining this team here at the Clarksville branch! It’s been a lot of fun so far, and I’m looking forward to continuing to do more.

Aliya: What drew you toward becoming a librarian?

Richard: I actually decided to become a librarian after studying to be a historian. I realized that while elements of research, and sharing my knowledge, and getting to be hands on with projects were fun, the teaching aspect and some of the demands of staying competitive in academia weren’t for me.

So, I saw that my local library at the time was hiring. After working there for about a year, I knew that it was for me, and I went back to school to get my library science degree.

Aliya: A historian! What historical period or topics did you study?

Richard: Well, my PhD dissertation was on the Comic Book Code Authority which was an industry-wide self-censorship program in the comic book industry from 1954 until 2011. But, my broad field was modern US cultural history. My outside field was history of science, hence my book club topics.

Aliya: What’s your favorite part of working at a library?

Richard: I like the variety! I like that there is a sort of rhythm to the day with certain projects that need to get done, but there is a lot more flexibility in how they’re getting done than with other jobs. And the fact that patron service always comes first means that every day is going to be different.

The job requires a lot more customer services skills and adaptability than people might expect. We’re the first line of contact for a lot of people who need assistance. Because we’re a third space that people aren’t expected to spend money to come into, we are often helping people navigate things that I don’t think the general public knows is a part of our work.

Patrons are as varied as anyone else, and they’re gonna need all kinds of different things: whether that’s help getting something off the computer or navigating resources or they’re just looking for a place to study. It’s rewarding, and it keeps the day fresh.

Aliya: Before we go, do you have recent book recommendations?

Richard: I recently finished up reading Xiran Jay Zhao’s Heavenly Tyrant, which was a solid follow up to Iron Widow, but also ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. So, I’m gonna have to wait for the next one now.

At the moment I’m also listening to the audiobook of American Prometheus as well, which was the basis of the film, Oppenheimer. That’s been pretty fun to delve into. Obviously, there is a ton of detail in the movie, but the book has way more. It’s got me thinking about what the author’s research processes were like. The book must be crammed full of footnotes.

Don’t forget to welcome Richard to JTPL the next time you see him! His next book club meeting is on Saturday, November 29.