Michael is a 2024 graduate of Davidson College from Atlanta, Georgia. An English major with a focus on creative-nonfiction, Michael’s writing focuses on his experience in the Asian diaspora, which has left him fascinated with language’s ability to obscure and redefine. Combined with his time serving as a co-chair of Davidson’s Student Initiative for Academic Diversity (SIAD), Michael’s work led him to take on the Library Studio Fellow position where he helps to supervise the student Library Consultants and Research Assistants. Michael also assists in the continual development of training content for the student program to help further develop roles for the future. Aside from work, Michael can almost always be found listening to music and is an avid runner, camper, and photographer.

Nasir, who is originally from Miami, FL, graduated from Davidson College in May ’24 with a B.A. in Sociology. On campus, he was a Bonner Scholar, Resident Advisor, and President of the Tau Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. At the end of his senior year, he was awarded the Agnes Sentelle Brown Award at Spring 2024 Convocation, a Leadership in Service Award at Davidson College’s annual Celebration of Service, and a Visionary Award at the Black Student Coalition’s Excellence of Onyx: Black Senior Achievement. Some of Nasir’s favorite memories from his senior year include the time he spent with his “Little”, Cadence, at Cornelius Elementary, planning and hosting a free book fair at the Ada Jenkins Center that celebrated Black authors and Black youth literature; playing a solo Djembe piece titled “Djembe Djam” at the Celebration of Service; and composing staple Djembe rhythms to be used during Harambee, a morning session in which scholars sing and cheer to get excited for a day of learning at the Brenda H. Tapia Children Defense Fund Freedom Schools.

Davidson friends, stop by the library’s Scholars Studio and say hello to our wonderful new colleagues. We’re so glad you’ve joined us, Michael and Nas!

Kelsey Nation comes to us from Forsyth Technical Community College where she most recently served as Library Technical Services Specialist. With over eight years of experience in library services, Kelsey has excelled in roles that include cataloging, interlibrary loan, circulation, shelf reading, and community programming. Before her current position, she worked as a Library Technician at Forsyth and a Library Associate at the City of Greensboro’s Benjamin Branch Library, where she led adult programming and facilitated literary workshops. Kelsey holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is pursuing a Master of Education in Academic Librarianship from East Carolina University. Her commitment to community engagement is further reflected in her volunteer work, including facilitating the Bards Unbound Poetry Workshop and participating in literary festivals.

We’re so excited to have Kelsey on board! You can find Kelsey back in the ILL area of the library. Stop by and say hello (and share a favorite poem if you have one!) the next time you are on campus.

Our new Digital Humanities Librarian, Leah Duncan, will join us from Louisiana State University Library’s Special Collections, where she served as Digital Engagement and Educational Services Librarian. Leah, who also holds a PhD in English, was recently awarded LSU’s Early Career Librarian Award, which “recognizes an LSU Libraries faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional accomplishment in the LSU Libraries through initiative, creativity, and the ability to make a significant contribution to the Libraries.” Highlights from Leah’s tenure include serving as the Chair of the Louisiana Digital Consortium and as the co-editor of the Journal of Critical Digital Librarianship.

Emily Sartorius Murphy will join us as Davidson’s new Media Creation and Curation Librarian. Most recently, Emily served as Texas A&M Corpus Christi’s I-Know Instructional Design Librarian, where she spearheaded her library’s digital information literacy quality enhancement program (the I-Know program). Emily, who holds a teaching degree from Grand Valley State University and her MLIS from University of Michigan, demonstrates a commitment to using technology and information literacy to amplify marginalized voices and lower barriers to access. Emily brings a wealth of experience in creating asynchronous content and assessment–especially video–that will immediately contribute to the library’s teaching and learning initiatives.

Leah and Emily are joining the library at an exciting time in our history as we enter into our Library Transformation project. You’ll find our talented new colleagues in the library beginning May 20, 2024. We hope you’ll stop by and say hello!

Melissa brings a wealth of specialized knowledge and experiences to Davidson. She is a native of western North Carolina and graduate of the MLIS program at the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies (UA SLIS) where she received a Certificate in Archival Studies with additional concentrations in metadata, cataloging, digital libraries, and user services. She holds additional graduate degrees in American Studies (Cal State) and Liberal Arts (Emory) and has subject expertise in American history and American studies, liberal arts and interdisciplinary studies, English language and literature, composition and rhetoric, women’s and gender studies, disability studies, and health science humanities. Prior to joining Davidson, Melissa worked as the electronic resources librarian at Birmingham-Southern College (BSC). Her professional ethics focuses on comprehensive and sustainable preservation of cultural heritage, transparency and accountability in records management, the provision of meaningful long-term access, user-centered design of search and discovery tools, inclusivity in the service of social justice. Her mission is to maximize discovery of and access to library resources via existing and emergent technologies. 

The next time you’re in the library, please stop by and say hi! Melissa’s office can be found in the back area of the library, near ILL services (just ask Joe for direction). No doubt, you will also catch her out and about at campus events this fall. We’re go glad you’ve joined us, Melissa!

James will play a critical role in helping to define and implement strategies to support Davidson’s library of the future, including the review and development of policies, procedures, and workflows for the lifecycle management of collections and the systems that provide access to them. A truly kind, capable, and collaborative leader, he will guide the collections team in providing excellent services in the areas of collection development, discovery, e-resource licensing, acquisitions, and the organization of library materials. We’re thrilled by the unique experiences that James brings to Davidson, particularly around collaborative collection building and his focus on open and equitable access to information. Library of the the future…here we come!

Please stop by the library and say hello: Most days, you’ll find James in the back office area near InterLibrary Loan or perusing the stacks. Welcome to Davidson, James!

Ellen is a graduate of University of Iowa, where she earned her B.A. in Creative Writing with minors in American Studies and Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies. At Iowa, Ellen participated in various on campus organizations that promoted local labor rights by highlighting worker voices from the past and present, including the Iowa Women in Trades Network and The Iowa Labor History Oral Project. After graduating, she went on to work at the History Colorado museum, where she assisted in cataloging the “Chicano Elders” oral history collection, part of an exhibit celebrating the 1960’s Chicano Rights Movement, or “El Movimiento,” in Denver.

Alongside her passion for local history, Ellen has also worked as an editor/ research assistant for KPOPIANA, an academic database begun by Dr. Crystal Anderson of George Mason University dedicated to cataloging and contextualizing KPOP history. After completing her fellowship at Davidson, Ellen hopes to attend graduate school in American Studies in order to continue her study into the mysterious, but terrifyingly intense, cultural power of boy bands. In her free time, Ellen loves listening to disco music, searching for affordably priced furniture on Facebook marketplace (me too, Ellen!), and taking long naps whenever possible. Ellen shares that she’s extremely excited to join the wonderful E.H Little Library team and learn more about Davidson. Stop by her office located in Archives to say hello (and share your favorite tidbit of Davidson College history…or favorite boy band?!).

Zara is a New Jersey native and a recent graduate of Davidson College where she majored in Political Science. Before joining the Digital Learning Team, she was an intern with the IT department at Brother International Corporation. There, she worked on the help desk and security teams, providing technology support and writing policy. She also volunteered at her local library in Princeton, where she helped design and run youth programming and served as an honorary board of trustees member. Zara is excited to be back working in librarianship, bringing her experience working with technology to Davidson. 

Zara is passionate about scented candles and sit-coms. In her free time, you might find her chucking plastic on the disc golf courses at Bradford and Bailey Road Parks. She also enjoys going on walks around Davidson’s campus, practicing yoga, cooking comfort food, and exercising her creativity as an amateur photographer. Ask her about political philosophy or ice hockey if you want to start a conversation!

We are so glad that you have joined us, Zara. Welcome to the team!