Meet the Staff: Kim Stahler, Instruction/Reference Librarian

Years here/years in same position elsewhere: Full-time since 2002. Worked at RACC part-time as a writing tutor, instructor, and library assistant from 1992-2002. I took RACC’s veterinary assistant certificate program a few years ago and loved it. Other jobs I have held are public library director, professional writer, food server, retail manager, and factory worker.

Brief description of your responsibilities: I teach formal classes in the library. Instructors request sessions in which our library staff teach about various research topics. I buy library materials which is great fun but more complicated than it sounds, and I work with students and faculty one-on-one.

Name one or two things that you love about working in The Yocum Library. Constant learning and the encouragement of curiosity, about any topic under the sun. Supportive and collegial coworkers. And being in an iconic building of Reading, the first one you see as you cross the Penn Street Bridge.

Favorite movie? Or last movie seen? Just saw advanced screenings of Downton Abbey and The Game Changers, cool events put on by Fox Berkshire. I enjoyed Blinded By the Light, set in 1987, about the influence of Springsteen’s music on a Pakistani teenager in a small town outside London.

Favorite book? Or last book read or book reading now? I just nostalgia-read Bambi, the classic 1923 novel which I vaguely remembered from childhood. It was excellent and deep! I reviewed it on the Yocum blog. I also have The Other Wes Moore, our One Book/One RACC college choice and Greetings From Bury Park, on which the film Blinded by the Light was based. I enjoyed Demi Moore’s memoir [Inside Out] and can’t wait to read the new one by Debbie Harry [Face It].

Who inspires you? People willing to buck the mainstream to make changes even when it is not easy.

What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now (work, school, personal)? I am fascinated and intrigued by the benefits of OER (online educational resources which are free and customizable) to college students. I have recently joined a Southeastern PA working group of librarians to learn more about OER after attending a conference on this topic this summer. Our faculty have been early adopters, I am proud to note.

What’s your secret talent that no one knows about? Parallel parking, lol! I am also good at guessing the gender of an animal. Is that weird?

If you had a year off with pay, what would you do? Cook a ton of simple food and feed busy people for free. Write stories. Re-learn to paint and play piano. Take violin lessons and play my old trumpet. Learn more about growing flowers and plants. Continue obsessively writing letters with all my beautiful fountain pens.

Community/volunteer activities: Leading film discussions at the GoggleWorks Theater with my spouse John Zukowski who works here in Admissions. Previously volunteered for One By One Cat Rescue and as a board member of Berks County Public Libraries.