Ms. Mei Yang has been a librarian at Saint Francis for 13 years. She also leads research skills classes for various departments and helps lead the Lancer Leap Program Telling Our Stories. Ms. Yang currently moderates for 3D Printing Club and has been a moderator for Book Club and Quiz Bowl in the past.
The Lancer: When you were a student in high school and college, what was your experience like?
Ms. Mei Yang: I went to a very large, public high school in Long Island, New York, which is where I mostly grew up. I remember it as being a time when I felt like I had a lot of close friendships and I had a good sense of belonging there. I liked a lot of my teachers and my classes. I was a “good student” [makes air quotes], I guess. I participated mostly in music and arts and wrote for the school newspaper. I played violin in the orchestra and was in the pit orchestra for the school musicals. I would do that, and that was a lot of fun, just being part of that group and seeing my friends up on the stage. I was also in, it’s called flag core, but I think here it is color guard; I was part of the marching band in that aspect, so I went to a lot of football games and had fun participating in the halftime shows and going to the competitions. I guess that’s mostly it for high school. What do you want to know about my college experience?
TL: What activities were you involved in? What did you study?
MY: I was a double major in college. I was an art history major and also an organizational behavior management major. At the time, I was thinking of going into arts management. I’d say college was pretty intense and competitive, and I felt like I had to work really hard. But at the same time, I probably had some of the most inspirational and rewarding experiences learning in college, especially compared to high school, where I felt like all your learning is kind of predefined for you. In college, you really get to explore your own interests and I really love that part of it.
TL: What led you to become a librarian? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do, or more of a gradual realization?
MY: If you had asked me even twenty years ago if I was going to be a librarian, I would have said no. But as it happens, my mom is a librarian, and my sister was a librarian too. I feel like maybe genetically, I was destined to be a librarian, but I actually started out working for some crosscultural nonprofits for a while, and then I was working in the newspaper space, in marketing and business development, and that led to digital media. Then I took a break to raise my kids. From there, I really liked connecting people with information, so librarianship seemed to make sense after all. So that’s how I became a librarian.
TL: What makes Saint Francis special to you as an educator, and how do you think that reflects in students’ experiences?
MY: I would say that Saint Francis is special because it’s really so student focused, and we really care about every aspect of students’ lives, not just subject matter. I think that that’s really the biggest thing for me, and I feel very grateful to be part of that.
TL: What is the most rewarding and most taxing part of your job?
MY: The most rewarding, obviously, would be when I can connect students or educators with information that they’re looking for. That’s a core part of my job, and I find that rewarding. I think the other part, though, is just seeing how many students love coming into the library. It’s a welcoming space, and we intentionally want it to be that way. A lot of students come into the library for different reasons, but I feel like they’re all getting something out of being here, and that’s really important.
TL: What is one part of your job that students don’t know about or understand?
MY: We actually spend a lot of our time curating physical and digital resources to support student assignments and self-directed learning. So we want to promote reading for enjoyment, but we’re really here to support the curriculum as well.
TL: What is your best piece of advice for students?
MY: My piece of advice for students would be to be curious. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Dig for answers and think carefully about the answers that you do find, or get, and evaluate them. Double check to make sure that what you’re hearing is something that actually is true and correct.
TL: Now we have some lightning-round questions. First, what is your favorite genre to read?
MY: I actually read pretty widely. I like fantasy, mystery, and science fiction, but I probably read realistic fiction the most.
TL: Who is your favorite author?
MY: That’s a hard one, because I don’t really have a favorite author, but I would say Jane Austen can never do wrong. But I also really love Jason Reynolds, who’s a YA author.
TL: What is one book that you would encourage every student to read?
MY: I don’t know that I would encourage any student to read any one particular book. I think every student should read at least one book where they feel seen, and they should read another book which exposes them to an experience or a person that they have never encountered before. I guess if I had to pick one book… do I have to pick one book?
TL: You can pick a couple.
MY: I’ll pick one book, which I read fairly recently, which is actually a nonfiction book. It’s called An Immense World by Ed Yong. It’s about how all different creatures and animals in the world experience the world differently because of the way their senses have developed. It gives you so much insight into how complex and beautiful our world is. It also makes you realize that our own limited experiences are just one tiny little aspect of the world, and so many things, and people, are experiencing the world in completely different ways. It’s mind boggling.
TL: What do you like to do in your free time?
MY: Well, obviously, I like to read a lot, and I like traveling. I bake, and I like going hiking.
TL: What is the coolest place that you have traveled to?
MY: The coolest place I’ve traveled to?
TL: Or a favorite?
MY: I’ve been very fortunate that I was able to go to Egypt before it became really hard to go to Egypt. Just seeing the pyramids and the tombs and everything was really fascinating. There are many more places I’d like to go to that I haven’t been to.
TL: Finally, what is your favorite food?
MY: Oh, dark chocolate. Yeah, that’s easy.
