When I was about 10-11 years old, my cousin was a student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She would pick me up, take me to McDonald's, get me chicken nuggets and then we'd go to the Mardigian Library. She had to study. I learned to use the catalog, which was still migrating from cards to a one colored, DOS-like system. Once I figured it out, I went and found all the animal and dinosaur books I could.When I turned 18, my cousin told me: "You should get a job at the [Mardigian] library. It looks great on a resume." I remember applying for a job as a circulation assistant and being tenacious on my follow up. Finally, one day the head of circulation, Margaret, had enough of me. She interviewed me and gave me a job.
From that point on, I was always going to be a part of Library Land. I worked in every department at the Mardigian Library. As I moved around, the librarians convinced me I was one of them. I was. They encouraged me to go to Wayne State University for a Masters in Library and Information Science. I did.
While I always boast about Southfield Public Library, the Mardigian Library is where my career as an information professional began. I met some of my best friends there, who also served as my mentors. I worked there for seven years and recently returned to help out with some development projects. Now, I am back on campus in development and will be helping the library with their projects once again.
I am so grateful to be a part of the Mardigian Library family. They have known me since I was an 18 year old punk and they helped groom me into the professional I am today.
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