I’m a Librarian – An Interview with Virginia Allison

I am the Visual Arts Librarian for Art History, Studio Arts, Film and Media Studies, Visual Studies, and interim subject librarian for Dance.

Virginia Allison

I have always had a passion for the Arts and pursued a career in Art Librarianship for the opportunity to grow intellectually and travel while keeping close ties to the Arts. I became a librarian right when information such as books, images, journals, and films was being digitized. It is an exciting time to be part of this profession as the role of the academic librarian is rapidly evolving. We are adopting new skill sets to reflect the changing landscape or our textual and visual culture.

I love teaching and find it very rewarding to empower young people to find and evaluate information for themselves. Working as a research librarian allows me to participate in the vibrant exchange of ideas and knowledge that takes place on a university campus. As a daughter of an educator, I'm an eager learner and am always seeking out new perspectives and ideas. I like working with people and enjoy reference work which provides the opportunity to interact with people from all backgrounds and ages.

As the Chair of the Libraries Exhibits Program, I have the opportunity to help show off the richness of our collections, as well as the diverse talents of our staff. Working with curators to develop and visualize their story with treasures from our libraries collections, I am constantly amazed by the intellect and passion for learning engrained in my fellow librarians.

A native Southeasterner, I spend a lot of time discovering and exploring California's landscape. During my most recent trip, I traveled to the Sequoias and was amazed by their height and beauty. Of course, I picked up a copy of John Muir's travel diary to make the experience more authentic. I am a librarian!