Hilda C. Landers Library & Archives

For senior Anthropology major and Museum Studies minor Sam Sisay, working at the Circulation Desk in the SMCM Library, Archives & Media Center is more than just a job. It’s also a great opportunity (from an anthropological point of view, of course) to observe people and gain a unique perspective as they use the library.

A self-described nerd and crochet enthusiast who loves the color pink, Sam was born in D.C., grew up in Silver Spring, and currently calls Hyattsville home. Though she was accepted to St. Mary’s out of high school, she attended both Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC, and Montgomery College before finally transferring to SMCM in 2014. Having always been attracted to small schools, the beautiful and welcoming campus struck Sam as “a place I could be at.”

As a kid, Sam loved going to the museums in D.C. with her dad – especially the Museum of Natural History. Combined with the fact that she has always been interested in learning about the cultures of other people, studying Anthropology and Museum Studies was the perfect fit. But it was actually the television show Bones that put anthropology on Sam’s radar. When she learned it was inspired by a real life forensic anthropologist, she became interested in learning more. In Spring of 2018, she plans to complete a Senior Tutorial for her capstone experience. At the time of the interview, Sam was still pondering her options for project.

Sam began working at the LAMC her first year at St. Mary’s. Having volunteered in libraries before, she knew she like the environment and it was a perfect fit as a work study job. Her favorite things about working in the LAMC are the people she works with, interacting with the students who come in for help, and of course, all the good people watching! Due to her exceptional work these past years, Sam has now moved into the Saturday closer position. In this position she is responsible for building closing procedures on Saturday evenings, as well as supervising other LAMC student employees during her shift.

When it comes to post SMCM plans Sam doesn’t have anything concrete at the moment, and plans on taking things one day at a time.

Image credit: A VerMeulen
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Allison Holtzman has been working at the Library for a while now. The senior English major, with minors in Philosophy and Spanish, has been serving the SMCM community as a Circulation student employee since her sophomore year.

Originally from Parkville, Maryland, Allison came to St. Mary’s in part because her older brother was an SMCM student at the time (class of 2015). Though the family connection helped, ultimately Allison selected St. Mary’s thanks to the beautiful natural setting.

Studying abroad during her Junior year, Allison was able to work toward her goal of becoming fluent in Spanish in the picturesque surroundings of Granada, Spain. There, Allison was able to fully embrace her dual desires for a calm and relaxing natural environment and the vibrant culture that comes with city life. In Granada, she was able to enjoy the perks of city living, while also being able to explore the beautiful countryside just outside the city limits.

As someone with a variety of interests, Allison’s academic work at St. Mary’s reflects her curiosity. In addition to gaining important writing and communication skills, she enjoys learning about and discussing critical theories surrounding ethics, race, gender, feminism, and Marxism – concepts introduced through her studies in English and Philosophy. Allison plans to complete an SMP through the English department exploring how slam and spoken word poetry act as a means of resistance by interviewing feminist poets at the forefront of the movements in Baltimore, MD and Ferguson, MO.

The family connection came into play again when it was time to find a campus job. Allison’s brother was also a Circulation student employee during his time at SMCM, and recommended Allison to Linda Russell, the Daytime Circulation Supervisor. When at the Library, Allison’s favorite thing about her job is shelving the books. The meditative activity requires a focus and attention to detail that she finds very calming. On top of the relaxing aspect of shelving the books, Allison enjoys learning about the books in the Library as she puts them away.

After graduation, Allison plans on eventually going to grad school for a Masters in Social Work while working in Baltimore. Long term, she would like to live in New York City, which would be ideal for Allison, with it’s melting pot of cultures and combination of city life and culture and parks and green spaces.