Emily Schmidt

Pronouns

She / Her

Conservation Services Manager

Phone: (919) 513-0682

Email: easchmid@ncsu.edu

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Shout-outs From My Colleagues

Emily and Lara had an idea for how we could connect with students creatively--making "collage journals" with a coil binder and cast-off book covers. They thought it would be a creative outlet and stress reliever for students during a time of overwhelm and uncertainty. Kelsey agreed and brought more ideas to the effort. Emily rescued old book covers from their trash can destiny, and purchased fancy washi tapes, stickers, markers, magazines, beautiful decorative papers, and many, many more kinds of collage items so the students would have lots of options. The "Creative Journaling" sessions that have been held in the Fishbowl Forum turned out to be a SMASHING SUCCESS--drawing students who were looking for something relaxing to do between classes, or who were experiencing anxiety and needed an outlet for it. Since the first session, many students have returned every month -- they just can't get enough! I wish I had started a collection of all the things the students have said about Creative Journaling and about the women behind it. It has meant so much to our students. Emily, Lara, and Kelsey found a beautiful way for students to revitalize and rejuvenate themselves, and it has made a world of difference for the mental health of many.

— Robin Harper

This summer, Darrien Bailey led the LSS Instruction Team in the decision to solve a few recurring problems with the books for our ever-popular scavenger hunt by making our own fake books. This idea led to the creation of amazing book titles like: Runway Royalty: Miss Piggy's Fashion Design Masterclass, Dumpster Diving 101 with Oscar the Grouch, and Under My Wing: Psychological Safety and Emotional Expression with Big Bird for students to find. These books were made with use of the creative minds and tools we have at the library and a multi-department collaboration -- and they are a delight to share with students! Thank you to: Darrien Bailey and Aasta Thomas for pursuing this idea, coming up with clever book titles, designing cover art and for Aasta's attention to detail which involved digging into the Library of Congress to create accurate call numbers! To Lynn Whittenberger for (without skepticism!) being willing to add these books to the catalog - and thinking of the extra steps to make sure we don't accidentally confuse patrons! Just one example of the care and attention that Lynn puts into her work. To Justin Haynes for working with Darrien to laser cut the designs into the book covers and making the vinyl stickers inside book covers! He's even working on making a 3D print to mount inside each book. Justin takes this approach with every project and we always come up with something more interesting or better than we first imagined. To Emily Schmidt and Robin Harper for making sense of a fuzzy idea to help students return the books to the correct spot on the shelves - and then making (by hand!) custom boxes for each of the twelve books! The willingness and swiftness of their work was truly amazing. I am grateful to work with colleagues who are so willing to work on creative and fun projects outside of the realm of typical duties and to make a fun experience for our students!

— Alison Edwards

While on vacation earlier this week, Emily noticed there were no Libraries activities listed among the campus events for the Wellness Day. She and Robin quickly drew up the plans for a bookbinding stress-buster. They communicated the idea to the relevant organizers, prepped, and delivered a successful journal making session for a few dozen students (and staff!) in less than four days. Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness, your cheerful approach, and the care you demonstrate for students and staff!

— Jamie Bradway