Member Spotlight: Maggie Vanderford
MAGGIE VANDERFORD
Ann Arbor
William L. Clements Library
What is your area of specialty?
Librarian for Instruction & Engagement
What are you proud of as a librarian?
I'm really delighted by the way that our team at the Clements comes together to create extraordinary educational experiences for students. A major part of my role is to be a hinge, a connector: I help our staff of librarians, curators, information specialists, digitization techs, and reception admins come together and design thoughtful class sessions based on specific topics in our collections. We take everything about the student experience into consideration, from the feeling when you walk through the door to the timing of activities to the rare materials training. We've done creative things like organizing a session on historic card games for students studying the Civil War, a live-bidding auction activity, supporting the creation of short-films based on our student-curated exhibit, and so much more. If you have an exciting idea about how to involve primary sources in your classes, we want to partner with you!
What is something that you are proud of outside your role as a librarian?
For the past decade or so, I have dabbled in baking historical recipes! My colleague, Juli McLoone, and I organize a celebration each year for Pi(e) Day. We bring together library colleagues from all over the country to try their hand at a historic pie recipe. This year's theme is hand pies (think empanadas, turnovers, tartlets, etc.) and anyone is welcome to join :)