Meet the JKM Library Staff: Erin Wolverton

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Erin Wolverton:

Wolverton pic

  •  Was born and raised in Michigan, and comes to Pittsburgh by way of Cleveland
  • Has her master’s in English
  • Claims that there’s nothing surprising about her (But we think that she’s just good at keeping secrets- we’ve never seen her and Batman in the same place…)
  • Works as a reference associate here at JKM Library

What made you choose your current profession

I got my Master’s degree in English but decided not to continue with the PhD for a variety of reasons. Then I was working at universities in student services for a long time. One day it dawned on me that I could combine what I knew about academic inquiry and the research process, and the satisfaction of assisting and being of use to people. So I dropped everything and ran to get an MLIS, which is almost completed.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

The variety of reference questions. Some days I’m searching on nursing methodologies, and some days Pretenders albums.

If you could do one thing to change/improve the JKM Library- with no worries about time or expense, what would you do?

I’d want to build a huge, huge collection that the building couldn’t possibly hold. Of course, Chatham still has enormous digital holdings, and I love digital books, too, but I still have a ton of physical books at home. And browsing shelves is so different from browsing digital records in the library catalog.

What’s the last thing you checked out?

I get most of my fiction from the Squirrel Hill branch of the CPL. I just read Dan Chaon’s Among the Missing, a collection of short stories about all the lives we don’t live because of the choices we make. The book was intense and sad and creepy, like practically everything Chaon writes. He teaches at Oberlin and occasionally writes obscure Cleveland locations into his work; he’s one of my favorite modern authors.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Pittsburgh?

The idiosyncrasies of the people who have been living here for many generations. I’m from the Midwest, but Pittsburghers are just different. You don’t hear ‘yinz’ anywhere else. Also weird things like putting French fries into the sandwiches instead of on the sides of them.

What’s one thing you think everyone should do while they live in the city? 

Take the funicular up the Duquesne Incline. Fun, cheap, amazing view of the city. Also, see a band play at Mr. Smalls.

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