Welcome back to another installment of 5 Questions! If you would like to choose 5 Questions yourself, feel free to choose 5 from this form.

Lauren Pressley, Dean of Z. Smith Reynolds Library

Tell us about what you do at ZSR Library?

Fundamentally, I work for the success of the Wake Forest University and Z. Smith Reynolds Library communities. I do this by communicating the work we do with students, administration, faculty, and staff and advocating for the library within the larger institution. I am also working to develop (in partnership!) a vision, frameworks, and strategies to help us make decisions, develop plans, and anticipate the needs of our larger community.

What is a typical day in your work life?

My daily work primarily consists of meetings. Right now, I am focused on learning as much as I can, so I’m meeting with the people who work in ZSR, our Board of Visitors, campus partners, university leadership, and students and parents.

As I develop a deeper understanding of our moment in time at Wake Forest, I’ll transition my focus to meeting with administrators and faculty to help evolve our institution’s understanding of contemporary academic libraries. I’ll meet with stakeholders to understand their needs and priorities so that we can best help them reach their goals. And I’ll continue to facilitate conversations within ZSR about what we do and how we will want to do it in the future. This work will help us continue to develop our position as a key institutional partner that helps our entire community succeed.

What is your favorite library story? (or memorable experience?)

I was a late reader. I came to first grade a bit embarrassed to not know how to read, and my kind school librarian (in partnership with my teacher) identified books that I would be drawn to to develop as a reader over the course of the year. It worked: I had an insatiable appetite for books by the end of the year!

Four years later, I adored my new librarian just as much as my first one. She let me volunteer in the library throughout the year, and for entire days throughout the summer. I loved taking a “lunch break” with her. We’d ride in her red convertible with a “YIPPEE!” license plate to go to the food court at the local mall.

These librarians showed me that as much as the library was about collections, it was about connecting with people, and I adored them for that.

What is one word that best describes your ZSR experience?

Welcoming

How did you start working in libraries?

When I graduated college, I was looking for any position that would contribute something good to the world, while buying me time to figure out what I really wanted to do with myself. After applying to a large number of positions, I was offered a staff position in the ZSR microtext department (think: reels of film and microfiche). I processed incoming materials, managed a large student staff, and made sure materials were in order.

About six months into the role, I presented on managing student employees at a conference for library staff, and felt so welcomed and supported by the conference participants that I started to think a bit more about choosing libraries for my profession. I reflected on how kind, smart, and community-focused my colleagues were at ZSR and decided that this would be it: I’d go to school for my MLIS degree.

I only applied to UNC-Greensboro. This allowed me to keep my position at Wake and maintain relationships with my colleagues at ZSR, all while I worked towards my degree. I felt like I had the best possible education between my UNC-G education and the mentoring, support, and experiences my ZSR colleagues provided.

Looking back, it’s easy to think I was on this path from the very beginning of my schooling. But for me, it’s clear that ZSR gave me the experience and perspective to make sense of all the moments that put me on the path to librarianship.