Joan Hopkins
BA in French and Philosophy; MLS
Instruction Librarian
Benedictine University
What are your main duties at your library?
As a member of our Outreach Services Team, my main duty is to “creatively design, adapt, plan, schedule, and conduct instruction sessions to encourage the development of students’ information literacy skills” which involves creating and maintaining over 150 research, course, and project guides, interactive tutorials, and classroom instruction sessions.
I also serve as the Librarian Liaison to the College of Liberal Arts, the University Writing Program, and the University Center for Mission, Ministry, and Inclusion.
What do you like best about your job?
The variety!
What are you working on now that you’re excited about?
I’m enjoying working on designing some interactive online materials to help introduce the campus to BenSearch (our name for Primo). I’m also planning a 2nd edition of our News Survey which we use as a measure of our students’ information and news literacy. It has also been a joy to plan and meet with our campus summer Faith & Justice reading and discussion group.
Why did you decide to become a librarian?
I don’t remember actually coming to a decision. I guess it was always assumed.
Describe yourself in three words.
Ora et Labora
What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now?
The Pandemic Playlist: Dinner with the Gaffigans, André Rieu, Sebastian Maniscalco, cozy mysteries, and evenings out on the screen porch watching westerns, Noir films, and old game shows on antenna TV.
What are your hobbies?
My new hobby is sewing face masks for family and friends. As long as we have to wear them, might as well make them cheery and fun!
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I also taught French Language and Literature at Benedictine for 27 years.
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