Michaela Telfer is a Research & Instruction Librarian at the Stamford campus. Before coming to UConn Library, she worked as an Archivist at the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. She holds a BA in English and Russian from The University of Texas at Austin, an MA and PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Southern California, and an MLIS from UCLA. Michaela taught introductory writing courses for five years while she was at USC and is passionate about continuing to support student research and information literacy through librarianship. Beyond her archival work, she is also currently developing her dissertation, entitled “The Chinovnik and the Rond-de-cuir: Bureaucratic Modernity in Nineteenth-Century Russian and French Literature,” into a first monograph. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, bookmaking, and hiking.
Author: Kimberley Giard
Li, Yaoguang
Dr. Yaoguang Li holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy from Kansas State University, an M.S. in Agronomy from Henan Agricultural University, and a B.E. in Food Safety and Quality from Anyang Institute of Technology. She brings extensive experience in scientific research, data analysis, and information literacy to her role as Research Services Librarian for Natural, Environmental, and Life Sciences at UConn Library. Yaoguang is skilled in interdisciplinary research, connecting diverse fields such as plant genetics, agronomy, plant breeding, ecology, and marine biology. She enjoys empowering researchers and students through the effective use of research tools. With her background in both research and teaching, Yaoguang takes a practical and cross-disciplinary approach to solving information and research challenges.
Professional Affiliations
Helwig, Victoria
Victoria is a Research Services Librarian for the Health Sciences with liaison appointments to Nursing, Allied Health, and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. She supports information literacy instruction, collection development, and research consultations for her liaison departments.
Victoria received her MS in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh and her BA in English from Mount Holyoke College.
Professional Affiliations:
• Medical Library Association (MLA)
• North Atlantic Health Sciences Libraries Association (NAHSL)
• Connecticut Association of Health Sciences Librarians (CAHSL)
Subject Specialties:
• Nursing
• Allied Health
• Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Xing, Ruth
Ruth Xing is currently a Research & Instruction Librarian at UConn Library – Stamford and serves as the temporary English subject liaison. In addition to their role at UConn Library, Ruth is currently the Web Manager for the Chinese American Librarians Association Northeast Chapter (CALA NE). Ruth brings experience to UConn as a 2023-2024 Fulbright Scholar & English Teaching Assistant in Germany, as well as a 2022-2024 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Kaleidoscope Scholar.
Ruth holds an MS in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from Syracuse University, as well as dual BA degrees in Psychology and English from Cornell University. They also bring a strong background in STEM subjects, including Mathematics and Biology, and are passionate about bridging social science disciplines with data science tools. Ruth served 3+ years as Graduate Assistant to the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JASIST), where they researched open access initiatives and conducted statistical analyses on bibliometrics and beyond.
Ultimately, Ruth is thrilled to contribute to the UConn community and collaborate with its wonderful faculty, students, staff, and stakeholders.
Professional Affiliations
• Chinese American Librarians Association Northeast Chapter (CALA NE)
• Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
• American Library Association (ALA)
Subject Liaison
• English (temporary)
Sluka, Isabell
Isabell Sluka is a recent PhD graduate in Literature, Cultures, and Languages from the University of Connecticut. Her interdisciplinary research and teaching center on questions of social justice and the politics of belonging, with a particular emphasis on digital spaces and technology. Her main research interests include theories of culture and the public sphere, media culture and participation, media activism, citizenship studies, human rights, and collective memory. Isabell has published work on digital activism and solidarity in international journals and edited volumes, including a recent piece in OpenGlobalRights.
In addition to her PhD, Isabell holds graduate certificates in Media Studies and Gender Equality from the University of Oslo (2013 & 2019), and in Human Rights from the University of Connecticut (2022). From 2022 to 2024, she served as a Graduate Assistant in Digital Humanities at Greenhouse Studios, where she engaged in various projects related to scholarly communication and remote collaboration, most notably NetWorkLab.
Cusson, Elaine
Elaine heads the Administrative Services unit of the UConn Library. She holds a degree in business management and comes to us with over 20 years of experience in customer service, procurement and operations management in diverse environments. Elaine is fluent in English and Brazilian Portuguese, with conversational abilities in Spanish and Italian and is passionate about dogs, horses, and wildlife.
Lugo, Sully
Sully Lugo
Desmarais, Janis
As the Collections Strategist, Janis collaborates across the UConn community and with external organizations to develop, maintain, and assess the strategies that the UConn Library uses for collection development and management.
She previously served as the Collections Librarian at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts and has had prior roles at various New England institutions including the College of the Holy Cross, Rhode Island School of Design, and Worcester Art Museum Library.
Janis has an MLIS from Simmons College, an MA in Art History from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a BA in Art History from Tufts University.
Rendeiro, John
John Rendeiro is a Student Success & Engagement Librarian with the UConn Library, where he is dedicated to fostering student curiosity and self-efficacy in reading, writing, and thinking through outreach, reference, and information literacy instruction.
He received his PhD in Comparative Literature and MS in Information and Library Science, both from SUNY Buffalo. Prior to joining UConn, he taught a diverse collection of writing and literature courses at several institutions. He has also served in writing centers, working individually with writers at every stage of the development and composition process.
Outside of the library and the classroom, John is dedicated to finding the best spots to read and Boston Celtics basketball.
Subject Specialty
Charis-Molling, Erica
Erica Charis-Molling is an Instructional Design & Student Success Librarian at the UConn Library. Erica actively supports student academic success and lifelong learning by serving as the lead for the development and support of the Library’s instructional design efforts. Prior to working at UConn, she served as Director of Campus Library Services for CT State Community College Asnuntuck. While working for CSCU, she co-chaired the team that developed and implemented the first electronic resources package for the newly merged CT State Community College, co-chaired the consortium’s Assessment Team, and served as Vice Chair of the Connecticut Council of Academic Library Directors. Her professional history also includes work as Education Director for Mass Poetry (a literary non-profit), Course Instructor for Berklee College of Music’s online degree program (teaching Poetry), and as Assistant Director of Assessment Programs & Planning for library at Berklee College of Music. She holds an MLS from Simmons College, an MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from Antioch University, and a BFA in Music (Vocal Performance) from York University. Erica’s two modest claims to fame are as author of one published chapbook of poetry and as the librarian who introduced Henry Rollins at the 2013 ACRL conference. She lives in western MA with her wife, daughter, and two fur babies.