“Check out” this Eng
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When she grows up, Shannon Siebers wants to be a professional book hoarder.
Feature Stories English major works for Germantown Library Mathematician’s patterns for concrete Global Studies alum gives access to app UWM physicist researches “space weather” UWM historian’s work on race in Star Wars
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“That’s what librarians are,” she said with a laugh. “We’re nerds. We love talking about books.” Siebers has worn the “nerd” label proudly for years, starting when she was 5 years old. The granddaughter of a librarian’s assistant, Siebers practically grew up in the stacks Germantown Public Library. “The library is my hometown. It’s just around the corner from my house,” she said. “I definitely remember having a little library card with my 5-year-old handwriting on it. My kindergarten class would walk over there and check out books.” Looking back, she added, “I don’t know how the librarians dealt with us.” When she turned 16 and began looking for a job, it was a no-brainer: Siebers wanted to work at the library. Her grandmother suggested volunteering to get her foot in the door, but the library had other plans: Siebers was called in for an interview and then offered a job as a page. She’s worked there ever since. Now Siebers is a student at UWM and contemplating her own future as a librarian. Most students might opt for a major in information science or technology, given that most librarians are required to have a Masters in Library and Information Science, but instead, Siebers is indulging her inner nerd. She’s majoring in English. “It was pretty clear that it doesn’t matter what you did for your undergraduate. I asked my boss and she said that it made the most sense to do something with books,” Siebers said. “Having a broad education about literature has been wonderful. I’ve loved every single one of my English professors.” She’s a particular fan of The Picture of Dorian Gray and other classic literature, but her favorite book is “whatever I’m reading right now,” Siebers said. She has put that love of literature to good use as she’s moved up the ranks in the library. As a page, Siebers was in charge of re-shelving books and helping at the circulation desk, but after three years, the director named Siebers a youth services intern, expanding her job duties with the library.
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“My job is basically event programming, and it gets weirder from there,” Siebers said. She’s talking about events like the day the library made a life-size Candyland board game and patrons played by moving around colored squares taped the floor. Then
