Meet Monica!
Campus Location: LA
Title: Research and Instruction Librarian
Years in the field: 2 in January!
Hi everyone! I’m your Research and Instruction Librarian here at The Chicago School, based in Los Angeles. I have a Master of Science in Information and a Master of Arts in German. When I’m not working, I enjoy playing Tabletop Role Playing Games with my friends, entertaining my three cats, and watching Critical Role or Dimension 20.
What’s your favorite part of working at our library?
Research Consultations. I love getting to meet students and helping them learn about how to use the library resources while talking about all of their interesting projects!
What book made you fall in love with reading?
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. It’s the first book I can remember my grandfather reading to me, and I always loved his spirited narration and silly voices.
What’s one library resource you think students would be surprised to know we have?
Sage Campus/Sage Skills! These self-paced learning databases are great for picking up new skills or brushing off old ones, including study habits and business skills.
What’s the most unusual job you’ve ever had?
Unusual project: Before becoming a librarian, I was a freelance translator/copy editor for ten years, and I once translated a set of judging standards for a German chicken breed that was being brought to show in the US for the first time.
What’s something you wish you had known in college that you know now?
Good research and writing always take longer than you realize they do.
What’s the funniest or most unusual thing you’ve ever been asked in the library?
I help our chat co-op with questions from other academic libraries and once helped a student formulate a research question and find articles for natural animal abilities that mimic Pokémon.
Are you a “pile it on the desk” or “everything in its place” kind of person?
Pile it on the desk, absolutely.
What’s your “happy place”?
On the coast – give me the roar of the ocean any day.
What’s something you could give a 30-minute presentation on with no prep?
Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. As a forever DM, I have encyclopedic knowledge.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A marine biologist. There’s so much about the ocean we don’t know!
We are so lucky to have Monica on our Library Team!
Stay tuned for more Staff Spotlight posts throughout the academic year.
Our Student Workers are an integral part of our libraries, and we want to show our appreciation for their hard work by highlighting their voices with our new blog, Student Worker Spotlight.
This month we’ll hear from three of our student workers at the Washington, DC campus - Kara, Tabatha, and Danielle - about what it’s like to work at the library and what they’ve learned.
When did you start working at the library?
Kara: I began working at the DC campus library in February 2025.
Tabatha: I started working at the library in September of 2023, right after I began my master’s degree.
Danielle: I started working in the library during the Fall of 2023, which was my first year in my program.
What’s something you would have never known about the library if you didn’t work here?
Kara: My role at The Chicago School Library has helped open a new world of resources that I have found beneficial to my research, studying, and career development. For example, I began using RefWorks to help me create citations more efficiently, resulting in a more productive writing process.
Tabatha: That they will scan certain chapters of a book for me if I need, and email it to me! Also, they will get me access to articles the library does not currently have access to within 24 hours of me requesting it.
Danielle: I wouldn’t have known just how many test kits are available! There really is almost any test kit you can imagine, and it’s great to be able to familiarize yourself with a test that you know you’re going to use.
Do you have advice for other students using the library?
Kara: My advice to other students using the library is to take advantage of the incredible resources available. If you need access to a journal article, use the resource sharing request, or interlibrary loan feature. If you are more of a visual learner, use the hundreds of video sources on the library website to deepen your understanding of certain topics.
Tabatha: My advice would be to take advantage of the library. It is a great space to come in and do work if it is difficult for you to get work done at home. Also, take advantage of the online services, the librarians are a great resource if you are struggling with finding sources, citing, or generally structuring your ideas and sources.
Danielle: If you’re struggling to find resources for a project, reach out to a librarian for help. They’re always super helpful and always happy to help a student in need. They can arrange meetings with you to sit down and go over research in depth.
What is your favorite place to go near your campus?
Kara: Of the many places near campus, my favorite has to be Devon and Blakely. I love their chicken Caesar wrap!
Tabatha: I love “Dua Coffee” - they have great matcha lattes and cappuccinos. I also love “The Best Sandwich Place” by Farragut west, they really do have the best sandwiches. When I need a break, I sit out in one of the parks near campus and feel the squirrels and pigeons, they are sweet.
Danielle: I like going on walks to the White House between classes! If you’re looking for a new place to study that’s relatively close to campus (about a 10–15-minute walk), I would recommend the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. It has a lot of places to study, including an outdoor patio that’s pretty quiet.
Stay tuned to hear from our Student Workers at other campuses as we talk about library life, reading recommendations, student tips, and more!