So Who is This “Julia” Person Anyway?

I mentioned a while back that I’ll be teaching two courses for Library Juice Academy soon. I wanted to write an introductory essay for my students, particularly since it’s an asynchronous course, and I thought I would put it online for my newer readers who maybe don’t know much about me. To my students: I am absolutely thrilled beyond words to get to work with you, and I’m looking forward to a great class!

I’m a PhD student at Florida State University’s School of Library & Information Studies, and I am currently working on preparing for my prelim exams (!). My research is in three different areas: library history (specifically how libraries operate during periods of change, like World War One or the Great Depression), social media use during times of uncertainty (political protests and natural disasters are my areas of focus here), and the information seeking behaviors of sexual assault survivors. I have a (mostly) up-to-date CV available for download here if you’re interested in looking at some of my publications, and I’m more than happy to talk with students about my work in greater depth if anything I do sparks your interest. I absolutely love my program, and I feel fortunate to get to do research and teach in an environment that is challenging, supportive, and filled with inspiring people.

Outside of my program, I do a lot of cooking. So much, in fact, that I have two blogs devoted to the subject. The first is my catch-all recipe blog, and the second is my food history blog devoted to 17th century English recipes. It also includes some book history and calligraphy, and recently became a book. I also garden, create artwork, make feeble attempts to practice musical instruments, and spend time with my friends, family, and three cats. In the past, I’ve done a variety of pretty exciting things including driving a city bus, working in a bakery, and taking circus class (FSU has its own circus).

I’m looking forward to our classes together and to getting to know each of you. And as I’ll say repeatedly throughout our time together, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Here is me with the Modernizing Markham book during a reading.