Prior to joining the MSU Libraries team in August 2017, Robin Ford earned her Bachelor of Arts degrees in German and International Studies as well as a minor in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She also studied Gender Studies at Humboldt University in Berlin during a Fulbright year and earned her Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2017.
Ford worked as a Graduate Reference and Instruction Specialist at the University of Washington’s Engineering Library from 2015-2017. She has always been interested in how things work and took science classes as an undergraduate which helped her in that role. After working in an Engineering Library, she knew she wanted to be a science librarian.
A typical day for her at MSU Libraries involves meetings with other librarians, helping students, working on the Reference Desk, collection development work, and teaching library instruction sessions. She considers working in Reference one of the best parts of her job.
“I have the opportunity to meet students, faculty, staff, and community patrons and support them in their research interests and needs, while also providing me with the opportunity to learn new things,” Ford explains.
In addition to her work as science librarian, Ford is also volunteering for different committees that address accessibility and inclusion in libraries. Her goals for the next year are to learn more about critical pedagogy and brush up on her chemistry knowledge.
Ford is committed to helping improve the library and its resources so that more students will use it and find it supportive and welcoming. She is excited to support students at MSU as a librarian and member of the dedicated staff at MSU Libraries.
