Delaney Knapp joins the Olin Library staff as our Community Resources Librarian. Learn more about them, what they’re reading, and their reflections on a librarian’s role in this community Q&A.
I aim to not just be able to assist people in the short term but to help everyone develop the tools they need to explore their passions.
Delaney Knapp
Community Resources Librarian
Q: Share a little bit about your background and how you came to be at Olin.
A: I was born and raised in Iowa and spent most of my life living in Iowa City. I went to the University of Iowa for my bachelor’s degree where I majored in history, minored in rhetoric and received a Certificate in Medieval Studies. During my bachelor’s degree I TA’ed rhetoric where I got to help students conduct research into topics they were passionate about. After I graduated, I moved to Boston to get my master’s degree in library and information science from Simmons University where I focused on the technology and e-resources that libraries use to support their patrons.
Q: What are you looking forward to and hoping to accomplish at Olin?
A: As the Community Resources Librarian, my role will be to grow, maintain and assist others with the e-resources collection as well as work on general library duties. I am excited to improve upon existing library resources and help support the Olin community pursue their own passions as much as possible.
Q: What is your personal approach to helping community members navigate the library?
A: As a librarian my goal is to make the library as accessible as possible to each community member. I aim to not just be able to assist people in the short term but to help everyone develop the tools they need to explore their passions. I am passionate about making sure that all of the library’s resources are accessible to the entire community.
Q: What is on your TBR pile at the moment?
A: My to-be-read pile is ever-growing and never-ending, however, the books at the top of the list are astronaut Eugene Cernan’s autobiography The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space and Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time series.
Q: Favorite book of all time? Favorite book you read this summer?
A: I am going to cheat and pick my favorite series of all time—the Teixcalaan series by Arkady Martine which, for now, consists of two books, A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace. This summer I have been really interested in the history of the Space Race and read Red Moon Rising, which focuses on early rocketry from both Soviet and American perspectives.
Q: What do you like to do for fun in your free time?
A: In my free time I enjoy embroidering while watching a tv show (usually something either in the Star Wars or Star Trek universes) and birdwatching.
Q: Oliners can ask me about…?
A: Star Trek, Star Wars, X-Files, Lost or any other science fiction shows. I may not know them, but I’m always happy to talk about them!
Q: Oliners can teach me about…?
A: Their interests! I always love learning new things and hearing people talk about what they are enthusiastic about.