Welcome, Jax!
In October 2023, Jax Seiler was hired to fill the position of Security and Access Services Specialist at College Library. This is a new role at the library and is designed to support security, access services, and public services during late afternoon and evening hours.
Jax, conveniently, has a lifetime of library experience; he worked in the campus library at Grinnell College while receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science. Before that, as a teen, he volunteered at his local library (where his father was on the board), worked in his high school library, was employed by his hometown library during the pandemic, and most recently served at the Fitchburg Public Library. Jax admits, “At least 80% of my jobs have been library adjacent.”
When asked if he was interested in pursuing librarianship as a career, Jax responded, “In theory I would like to. I would like to get my MLIS at some point, but at the moment I’m going to focus on paying off the first set of student loans before adding any more. I would prefer not to get another degree until I am more sure that I need it. At the moment, however, staying in libraries is the goal.”
In addition to providing circulation support and serving as a security presence at the library, Jax is also responsible for such collection maintenance tasks as tracking down missing items. He notes, “I really like the puzzle aspect. If the catalog says an item it should be in the PB section but it’s not there, I’ll go looking in the PRs and if that doesn’t work I’ll try the BPs and keep eliminating places where the book could semi-reasonably be.” Speaking of puzzles, Jax has also taken charge of College Library’s impressive collection of lost-and-found items and gleans a great amount of satisfaction from reuniting lost flash drives with their owners and from matching an “I Lost This Item” entry to an actual piece in our inventory.
Jax enjoys working the evenings at College Library. He admits, “I’ve always been a bit of a night owl and an added benefit is that there’s no traffic on the way home. Not only is the library atmosphere more focused at night, but I like the sort of people who tend to be in the library at that time. They’re my people.” Jax acknowledges that he was a bit worried about the security aspect of the position, but has been relieved to discover College Library is “pretty chill” at night.
When asked about his hobbies, Jax revealed that he knits – a lot – and has done so for five or six years. Most of the time he is wearing something handmade, be it a hat, gloves, or sweater. Jax likes that it keeps his hands busy while his mind can focus on something else. In addition to the fiber arts, Jax also plays Dungeons & Dragons with friends. He is currently participating in two online campaigns – one with friends from high school and another with friends from college.
Jax is a great addition to the staff at College Library and we encourage you to welcome him to campus. Please take him up on an invitation to stop by the desk and say “hi.” As he notes, “I consider myself a pretty chatty person.”