Title of your position: Serials Acquisitions Assistant, or SAASS, which is my preference but it hasn’t caught on. Yet.
What is your educational background? I graduated from Notre Dame in 2010 with a BA in History and Peace Studies, neither of which are applicable to my current position.
How long have you been at Loyola and what do you like best about working here? I’ve been working at Loyola for… wait this is tough to remember way back when I started… I guess it’s been about seven months. My favorite part of the job is feeling like I’m helping students get a great education here at Loyola, even if not directly, and even if none of them know my job exists.
What do you find most challenging about your work at Loyola? Since it’s my first job after college, I’ve just found the whole “getting up at the same time (before 11am) every day and going to work” thing to be the most challenging. But that’s not really a “challenge” so much as it is an adjustment.
What interests do you have outside of work? I enjoy a wide variety of sporting events—especially Notre Dame football and the Philadelphia Phillies. To clarify: they’re a baseball team; I don’t know how much overlap there is between “baseball fans” and “readers of library blogs” so I want to play it safe. Additionally, I relax by watching movies of all kinds (film buff?), reading about historical happenings (history buff?), and lifting heavy weights (buff buff?).
Where have you traveled? I studied abroad in London for a semester in college, and while I was there I visited Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Belgium. I’d recommend all of those places except Portugal. I got the vibe that not even Portuguese people like Portugal that much. I’ve been to Mexico, too, but that was for spring break when I was a senior, so I wouldn’t call it a “cultural experience” by any means.
What books have you read recently that you would recommend? I just finished “Blood Meridian” by Cormac McCarthy, which I very much enjoyed but isn’t for the faint of heart; I could only get through it because I’m so brave. This was the only question where I could mention my bravery, which I found disappointing.
Ray can be seen wandering the back rooms of Cudahy, inspiring wonder and awe in both students and staff alike. He can be reached at rclark1@luc.edu.
