Member of the Month: Tammi Owens
Tammi Owens
Winona State University
Assistant Professor
Emerging Services and Liaison Librarian
What inspires your work?
Two groups of great people.
- Our students. I work with Nursing majors here at WSU, and they are incredibly talented and dedicated. I also work with Education Leadership graduate students, and they are producing projects that will make a difference in education.
- My colleagues at WSU and around the world. We’re a profession with a culture of sharing and teamwork, and it’s so refreshing.
Are you currently working on a project that is exciting or interesting? Tell us about it!
Oh yes! We’re planning Game Night here at the library for fall orientation week. Three floors of games of all kinds, including board games, video games, frisbee golf, a LAN party, and a paper airplane competition. Our aim is to introduce new students to the library space in a fun and relaxed environment weeks before their first papers are due.
What do you do when you’re not being a librarian?
I’m a fiber artist — I spin and dye yarn. It’s great to have such a tactile outlet after spending so much time in my head during the day. This summer I hope to learn to weave with my handspun. See some of my recent work.
What are you reading?
For book club this month: Stranger in A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. For fun: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness and Weaving: A Handbook of the Fiber Arts by Shirley Held.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that most people would not guess by looking at you?
You can tell by looking, but only if you look closely: I have a real-life Harry Potter scar hidden underneath my bangs. Sadly, it does not come with any wizarding skills.
What is your favorite non-library website? Why?
I love Instagram because it allows me to curate a feed of joy and color, and share my own moments of delight. It’s a perfect antidote to the stress of everyday life.
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