In your last job at Central Washington University (CWU), you were working on a research project. Tell us about it. How many people were involved? What was the topic? Where are you at with this research? Did you discover anything interesting or find more questions?
I worked as a Research & Instruction Librarian at CWU for about two and a half years. It was my first full-time job out of grad school. In that position, I had faculty status, and part of my professional development involved doing my own research and getting peer-reviewed articles published. For the last such project I undertook at CWU, I teamed up with a couple of my colleagues, Elizabeth Brown and Lauren Wittek. Since we all taught library research skills, both in credit-bearing courses and one-off lectures, we were interested in finding out how much of an impact our teaching, and exposure to library services in general, had on students’ command of these skills over the course of their studies at CWU.
To this end, we sent out a survey to the whole student body. It’s difficult to sum up the results in a paragraph or less, but we did find evidence that students typically had more confidence in their research skills the higher their class standing was. It was hard to tell how much credit we ourselves could claim for that improvement. If nothing else, though, our instruction of first-year students in introductory classes gave them a place to start by demystifying some of the multitudes of resources at their fingertips.
I’ve moved on to other projects here at Big Bend, but Lauren and Elizabeth can use the results of the survey to further develop library programs and services at CWU. This is the nature of academic research – it often does not produce earth-shattering conclusions, but it’s still worthwhile if it produces evidence on which we can base decisions, as well as spur future research, either by ourselves or others who read our work.
As a Librarian, what is the hardest question you have ever been asked. How did you solve it?
I can’t recall a particular “hardest question” I’ve been asked. As a rule, though, the more challenging reference questions are the half-formed ones. Sometimes patrons aren’t really sure what they’re looking for or have a hard time putting it into words. Good reference librarians learn how to help patrons flesh out their research topics/questions, partly by teasing out what the patron really is and isn’t interested in. If you have a choice in the matter, there’s not much point in writing a research paper on something you find boring.
In your off-work life, do you have an area you casually research as more of a hobby and intellectual interest?
There are many such areas for me. I love history, and there are some historical topics I’m passionate about to the extent that I’ll willingly read dense textbooks on them, such as modern German and Russian history. Partly, I do this to better understand how human societies evolve, rise, fall, and recover; but also because history contains endless stories of triumph and tragedy that can be more thrilling than fiction.
I also have more obscure interests. Since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed watching hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey. At the moment, I’m obsessed with observing golden eagles, which are much more reclusive than the magnificent baldies I grew up seeing in Western Washington. I use maps and information from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Nature Conservancy, and other agencies or organizations to know where to look for them. Watching falconry and rescue videos on YouTube has helped me identify the few goldens I’ve been lucky enough to spot so far.
What book, poem, or study have you read that engaged you so deeply you were changed?
One of the most interesting books I read in the last couple of years was Lying About Hitler, by Richard J. Evans. It was about a Holocaust denial-centered libel case at which the author, a distinguished British historian, appeared as an expert witness. The testimony of Evans and his fellow historians were critical to winning the case, as it proved both that the plaintiff (writer David Irving) was a Holocaust denier and that there could be no honest, reasonable basis for Holocaust denial. They made a powerful statement about the importance of serious, truth-seeking, evidence-based research.
This book didn’t change me per se, but it confirmed my respect for history as an academic discipline. Before getting my Library & Information Science degree, I earned an MA in History. While I am on a different career path now, I remain proud of that accomplishment.
You have had an amazing range of studies, professions, and successes. Not everyone has been a heavy wheel diesel mechanic and also attended Yale Divinity School. Your range is breathtaking. You've worked on issues of justice, reform, LGBTQI, and education. Your tagline "See you around the Bend" has also been attention-grabbing. It seems in addition to the range of studies and experiences you may also have some promo mojo. Through these years, what have been your go-to texts, journals, magazines, and/or online resources? Do you have gurus, mentors, or writers/researchers that serve as your inspirations?
I can’t resist saying that the question implies that I took a well-thought-out path through life. I definitely did not. Life has invited me to embark on interesting journeys and I have taken a variety of different trails getting stronger and more confident on each adventure. Maybe the universe has this well-laid plan, but I am not privy to the plan. Whenever life tempts me with a new adventure I just keep saying, “Yes!” I want to learn and grow as a result of the places life takes me.
In college, I was introduced to the advocacy and writings of incredible people like Audre Lorde and bell hooks, who shared a perspective and a vision that really pricked my conscience. I also was fascinated by Eleanore Roosevelt who used her position of privilege to advocate for equity. From then on, I read voraciously—books, magazines, journals—and listened carefully to others about their lived experiences. My go-to writings are the biographical stories of individuals who pursued a fairer, more equitable world enduring great risk, ridicule, and harm.
What kind of research did you do to prepare for your interview at BBCC? What sources did you consult? Did you use social media or another other digital media? Is there a story about a place or event in the area that intrigued you?
My research on BBCC began before I even applied for the presidency. One of my make-or-break criteria is related to diversity. Because Big Bend is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS), I decided to learn more. I read the college’s strategic plan, the Academic Master Plan, the Campus Climate Action plan, Board of Trustees Minutes, and other publicly available information such as completion rates. I studied the organizational structure, read the local newspaper, and researched all things Moses Lake and Big Bend. I also spoke to people who live in Washington and work in the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges (WACTC) system. As I progressed in the search process, I returned to those sources and individuals and kept digging deeper.
Your dissertation: Tweedy, S. T. (2018). More than Just Numbers: Strategies for Improving the Use of Data to Increase Community College Student Progress and Success (Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland University College), includes in the acknowledgment a small anecdote about your sons who wanted to play soccer, but you were busy researching, writing, refining, and completing your dissertation. We have many student parents on our campus. Do you have any research advice for them and their unique challenges?
My most important piece of advice, GET HELP FROM LIBRARIANS! They know their way “around the stacks.” They’ll save you a lot of heartaches trying to figure out a research approach on your own.
In addition, I deployed two strategies that served me well. You may know the old adage, “How do you eat an elephant?” Disgusting, but useful imagery that encapsulates one of those strategies—one bite at a time. Being a mother of two, a professional with great responsibility and a part-time doctoral student meant that every single day was chock full of things that I needed to do, places I needed to be, and people to whom I needed to attend. If I did not take my research in bite sizes, I could be overwhelmed quickly. My first piece of advice: Break the assignments down into smaller actionable steps and the first step in that process is… wait for it… talking to a librarian. Accomplish that step!
Lastly, keep the goal in mind. When I wanted to cry and tear my hair out, I took a mental break to imagine that moment when my sons would ask me to play soccer on some Saturday afternoon and I would be able to say, “YES!” (When they read that statement in the acknowledgments, they held me to it too!) Another was imagining graduation day when my sons would also see their mother at the hooding ceremony with all of the pomp and circumstance that comes with it. While they may have been too young to fully understand all the implications, I know they will in time.
Tell us about one of the biggest or the most important presentations you have ever done. What was your research approach? How far did you go with audience research? What type of feedback did you get? Did you use any unique sources?
Presenting myself as a candidate for president at Big Bend was my most recent high stakes presentation! I was so honored to progress through each stage of the process, but I had to check my ego that I was not in this process to get the job at all costs. I wanted to present an authentic version of my vision so that there would be no question about who I would be as president—a student-centered, approachable leader with heart and passion for the justice mission of community colleges. While I was reading cues that this vision was resonating with the BB community, I could not venture into guessing what someone might want to hear which could result in a poor match. When I was offered the position, that was the ultimate feedback that there was a like-minded college locked in the same pursuit to use education to uplift socio-economically marginalized persons. The commitment to students was palpable and I wanted to be part of Big Bend.
We started a tradition of Holiday Haikus at BBCC last year. Do you have any poetic interests or writing you might share with us this year? On the scale of "poet and I know it" to "Haikus?" where does your wordsmithery fall?
I have dabbled in writing poetry, but my craft is the spoken word! I love to bring written words on a paper to life for an audience. I get chills when I can see my words landing on others in a way that resonates with them, inspires them, and/or humors them. I experience great fulfillment from introducing ideas in ways that provoke thought and deep consideration. In that sense, I do consider myself “a poet and I know it.”
HERE: Share Book and Book Talk
REFERENCES:
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