Meet the Staff: Brenna Corbit, Technical Services Librarian

Years here/years in same position elsewhere: I have been here at RACC since I started as a student in 1997. From there I worked as a writing lab tutor 1998-2001; Library Assistant 2001-2006; Head of Circulation 2004-2006; Adjunct Instructor for writing and literature 2003-2008; Library Public Services Specialist 2006-2007; and currently as Technical Services Librarian which I started in 2007.

Brief description of your responsibilities: Many people think a technical services librarian is an IT person. In library lingo it means I am a cataloger, which means that I am responsible for maintaining the records of all the library’s holdings, both physical and digital, so that they are searchable and accessible for the RACC community. In the mornings, I work as a reference/research librarian. I am also a genealogist and can assist anyone with researching family history.

Name one or two things that you love about working in The Yocum Library. Besides the love of being surrounded by books, I love interacting with and helping our diverse RACC community in any way that I can.

Favorite movie? Or last movie seen? Almost anything from the silent area up to the 1960s. A favorite? Well, if I could only grab one DVD to take into the lifeboat with me, it would be Casablanca (1942), starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. But is there going to be a DVD player on the deserted island?

Favorite book? Or last book read or book reading now?
Do I have to pick? I love 19th century and early 20th century fiction, especially American, Irish, and British. I also love reading history of ancient Europe. I also read some current fiction, but rarely bestsellers. Stray onto an unknown path and explore. Currently, one book I am reading is Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe.

Who inspires you? Autumn leaves and Winter snow (Yes, they are capitalized because I made them proper nouns; spring and summer are not, especially the latter!). Summer weather and sunshine are things to be avoided. I am not a plant. I am a human. Crisp Autumn winds kindle a fire in my heart and soul.

What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now (work, school, personal)? At work I love the challenges of researching complex family trees. Recently, I have helped someone from the RACC community locate a long-lost half-sibling while working on their family tree. That is really cool, and I really hope that it evolves into a beautiful meeting for the two. Personally, I am into researching and recreating ancient boardgames, such as hnefatafl, a board game from the Viking Age, and ludus duodecim scriptorum, an ancient gambling game from Rome that is often considered a predecessor to backgammon.

What’s your secret talent that no one knows about? My secret talent, if you can call it a talent, is that I enjoy playing ukulele and singing old songs.

If you had a year off with pay, what would you do? Move to west coast of Ireland with my wife, rent a thatched cottage by the sea, read books together by a peat fire while sipping tea, lazily collect sea shells together on the beach while listening to the cries of sea gulls and caws of crows, and in the evenings go to a little pub listening to Irish music while sipping pints of stout; a wee dram of whisky wouldn’t hurt.

Anything else you wish to add? You forgot to ask me about music, one of the best pleasures in life. I love all kinds of music from almost all different centuries and places, except hit music from the last 20 years. In my K-12 years, I was an uneducated listener of bubblegum music until I was enlightened by the 1970s sounds of Hawkwind, an underground psychedelic space rock band from England that is still playing to this day. Yes, I would sneak a live Hawkwind CD into that lifeboat, even if it is against regulations.