Where are you now, Ann Nowak?

In honor of National Library Week, we are featuring Hope alumni who are working in libraries. Today we find out how Ann M. Nowak (BS, 1998) got to where she is today since her days as a student and Library employee.

My journey into the library field began with my meandering undergraduate path. I was hired as a page in the beginning of my education, with other library jobs in between. By the end of my education path, after I had graduated from HIU, I gained various experience at the technical support level in the academic library setting.

Once I had completed my bachelor’s degree I went on to a position in the database control department at CSU’s Northridge library. After a year and half with this employer, my husband and I made the decision that it was time for me to shift from being a working mom to being a mom at home. We had also decided to return to our home state of Michigan.

From 2000 to about 2010 I was blessed to be home with our 3 children. Then in 2010 I decided to test the waters in the work world again and was hired as a summer page at my local public library system. The following year I felt I was ready to look for something more, in terms of employment, and through much prayer and polishing up of my resume, I was offered employment as a librarian assistant at Baker College of Port Huron.

This has been my most rewarding job to date in library world! Because of the size of this particular library, I have had the unique opportunity to learn how to perform many job duties that I might not otherwise, had I been in a larger university or public library system. The best part of my job is in seeing the students progress in their learning how to use the resources I have instructed them to use, which they now proficiently and successfully use.

Ann and her daughter

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Ann M. Nowak, HIU graduate (BS in Org. Mgmt.) and employee 1998.

While a student at Hope, Ann worked in our Technical Services Office before the Library was renovated.

Ann is interested in getting an MLS degree but the timing and funding have not worked out quite yet.

Trivia: Ann attended the Excel/School of Professional Studies program at Hope back when classes met on campus one night per week. Now it is completely online so if she were starting all over again, she wouldn't have to move to California to go to school!