Meet Your Librarian: Leia Verfuerth, Serials Librarian

August 23, 2013
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Leia Verfuerth in her office with new arrival, “harlequin creature.” Leia is a Serials Librarian in the Acquisitions Department of the General Library System at UW-Madison, which is also where she received her MLIS; her undergraduate degree is from UW-Eau Claire.

With a library system as big as UW’s, many librarians work behind the scenes to make sure the best resources are available for students, faculty, and community members. The Little Magazine Collection at Memorial Library–which is one of the largest of its kind and provides an important key to understanding modern literature– requires the work of many librarians who track down rare serials, help writers and researchers find the right volume once the magazines are shelved, and everything in between.

Leia Verfuerth is one of those folks; she handles the business side of orders and subscriptions for the collection as a Serials Librarian in the Acquisitions Department. Leia talked with Oliver Bendorf recently about the challenges and joys of working with the Little Magazines collection, how print is like vinyl, and her advice for future librarians. When asked about her favorite part of the job, Leia noted that the connection to history and art draws her in:

“Being one of the first people to see such amazing and beautiful publications. I’m a big fan of the DIY art stuff—I love it. These are not just magazines, they’re art. Some of the back issues we get—to open them up and see that rare amazing history… there’s something indescribable, you can’t really put into words the emotions these materials bring up. Have you seen Bruno’s Weekly? We recently bought some issues from 1916. My background is in art, in illustration, so seeing where these artists were first published is just amazing.”

Read the full interview  on the Little Mags Tumblr.