Author: Kimberley Giard

Finegan, Kate

Kate Finegan is a Marketing & Publicity Assistant for the UConn Library. In ten years of working in the field of communication, Kate has assisted organizations both big and small in creating and implementing effective communication and public relations strategies. She enjoys using her content creation skills (writing, video production, graphic design) to collaborate on marketing assets that educate, entertain and inspire internal and external audiences. Kate earned her B.S. in Communication with a minor in Digital Art and Design from Eastern Connecticut State University.

Kate’s weekends typically include competitive pinball, practicing classical guitar, playing board games, and curling up with her cat and a good book.

Taylor, Laurie

Laurie Taylor is the Associate University Librarian for Collections & Discovery at the University of Connecticut Library. She leads Acquisitions & Discovery, Archives and Special Collections, Collections Strategies, Digital Imaging & Conservation, and the Digital Preservation Repository Program (Connecticut Digital Archive). Laurie joined UConn after serving at the University of Florida as Senior Director for Library Technology and Digital Strategies, Chair of the Digital Partnerships and Strategies Department, and the Editor-in-Chief of the LibraryPress@UF, and the Operational Lead and Digital Scholarship Director of the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC). Laurie holds a Ph.D. in English/Media Studies and Digital Humanities and a Master of Arts. She has published extensively, and has been the principal investigator, co-PI, and investigator on many grants. In 2018, Laurie was awarded the Caribbean Information Professional of the Year by the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL). Laurie is new to New England and thrilled to learn and explore while growing her community here.

Bernier, Maria

As the director of the Avery Point campus library, Maria works with faculty and staff to support student learning and research. She is available to provide information literacy training in classrooms or online and welcomes suggestions for resources to add to the library collection. She worked most recently in the CT State Library’s Division of Library Development, offering grants, helping public libraries expand their broadband access, supporting professional development for the library workforce, and gathering and sharing data about Connecticut’s public libraries. Prior, Maria worked at the Redwood Library & Athenaeum, Salve Regina University, and Mystic Seaport Museum. She has a BA in English and History from Amherst College, an MSLIS from Simmons University, and an MBA from Salve Regina University. Outside of work, Maria enjoys flower gardening, reading and listening to fiction, and eating good food.

Areas of Expertise

  • Maritime Studies
  • Statewide library services
  • Community engagement
  • Excel

 

Professional Affiliations

  • Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Connecticut Chapter (BCALA-CT)
  • Connecticut Library Association (CLA)
  • New England Library Association (NELA)
  • Rhode Island Library Association (RILA)

Flynn, Kara

Kara Flynn is the Archives Education and Outreach Coordinator at Archives and Special Collections, working to engage students, faculty, and the larger community with the archives through instruction and outreach programming. Kara holds an MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Puget Sound. Before coming to the University of Connecticut, Kara worked as the Special Collections Librarian at Augusta University, and as the Education & Engagement Archivist at the University of Arkansas. In her free time, Kara enjoys being in nature, working on various craft projects, and being entertained by her cats’ antics.

 

Areas of Expertise:

  • Archival outreach
  • Teaching with primary sources
  • Archival education

 

Professional Affiliations:

Trinque, Jonathan

Jonathan is a Research Services Coordinator at the UConn Library. Jonathan helps coordinate research and reproduction services including reference desk operations, scheduling and supervising reading room appointments, and fulfilling digital reproduction orders. Jonathan also assists with overall departmental operations and works to provide excellent customer service to all patrons.  

Jonathan graduated from UConn with a B.A. in both Biological Science and English, a minor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and a concentration in Creative Writing. He refined his customer service skills working for UConn Dining Services, the New Britain Museum of American Art, CT DEEP’s park service, and the UConn Library’s Access and Visitor Services department.

In his free time, Jonathan enjoys gardening, binging TV shows, creative writing, and reading graphic novels.

 

Fiducia, Kathryn

Kathryn is a Geospatial Services Librarian at UConn Library. She has a Master of Arts in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, and a certificate in Geographic Information Sciences from Tufts University. She also has a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Politics and Sociology from Southern New Hampshire University. Prior to her graduate studies, Kathryn did a year of service as an AmeriCorps Data and Research VISTA with the City of Hartford’s North Hartford Promise Zone, which greatly impacted her approach to social science research, data analysis, and of course, mapping! Her other research interests include land use policy, researching the environmental impact of lead and how it relates to environmental justice, and affordable housing policy. In her free time, Kathryn enjoys spoiling her two cats Ben and Jerry, hiking, reading fantasy novels, and bird watching. 

Muth, Karl

Karl Muth is a Financial Services Assistant at UConn Library. Karl is responsible for processing and maintaining the Library’s financial transactions, including the purchasing of collection and non-collection materials, travel and non-travel requests and reimbursements, vendor/supplier management, and budget tracking. Karl graduated from Fairfield University with a B.A. in History. He also earned an MLS degree at Southern Connecticut State University and an M.S. in Finance at Fairfield. Karl previously held positions as both an Equity Analyst and a Data Analyst at Bloomberg, the Financial Times and two boutique investment management firms. His last role before joining UConn was as a Reference Librarian at the Wethersfield Library. 

 

Howser, Michael

Michael is the Repository Manager for the Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA) at the University of Connecticut Library. Michael coordinates with CTDA partner institutions across the state of Connecticut to provide training and support with using the CTDA to preserve and make discoverable cultural heritage material from a diverse range of collections. Prior to this role, Michael served as a Social Sciences & Data Librarian at San Diego State University with a focus on developing quantitative literacy skills for students through data visualization and data analysis approaches. Michael previously was at the UConn Library in various roles and was co-founder of the Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA). Michael is well known for his work in geospatial literacy efforts with nearly two decades of experience working with students and faculty on geospatial data and mapping projects, instruction, and research. Michael has taken extensive PhD level courses in Geography at the University of Connecticut, has a Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from Kent State University and a BA in Geography from the University of Cincinnati.

Tatarka, Karen

Karen Tatarka is Director of the UConn Hartford Campus Library. She has worked in both public and academic libraries, including the Weston Public Library, Wilton Library, Jeremy Richard Library at UConn Stamford, and Auburn University Libraries. She was drawn to librarianship by a desire to connect people with information, and actively works with library stakeholders to grow collections, services, and collaborative programs to integrate the library into the community. 

 Karen holds an MLS from Southern Connecticut State University and an MA in English Literature from Fordham University. She is active in professional organizations at the local and State level. She currently serves as Chair of the State Library’s Advisory Council for Library Planning and Development (ACLPD) and is on the steering committee for CT Libraries and Partners for Digital Equity (CTLPDE).