Whether or not they are actually studying, most Union University students set foot in the library in the Logos at least once before they graduate. While some spend several hours a day holed up in a study room, many others stop by the vending machine, hang out in open seating or walk through the library on their way to Modero for their daily latte. Though they may not realize it, nearly all of these individuals are impacted in some way by the library circulation manager, Rachel Bloomingburg.
As a student worker in the library, many of my hours overlap with Bloomingburg’s shifts, and I greatly enjoy being able to come into work and chat with her about what’s been going on on campus and around the library. Last week, Bloomingburg and I sat down with a different conversation topic in mind — her experiences as a library staff member and the effects of her new role.
In regard to her new role, Bloomingburg talked about what some of her tasks looked like.
“One of the main things I definitely do is make sure the circulation desk is staffed each day, and of course that’s a combination of all full time staff members as well as our student workers,” Bloomingburg said. “Working with all of y’all’s varying schedules can be a lot of moving pieces depending on the semester.”
If you saw the spreadsheet that is the circulation desk schedule, you’d understand the enormity of the task. However, Bloomingburg’s role here allows her to interact on some level with the library’s 20-plus student workers, which ties into what she describes as one of the most rewarding parts of her job.
“The students are really the heartbeat and the main reason we’re here,” Bloomingburg said. “So being able to get to interact with them a little bit, even if it’s small, is rewarding, but also a rewarding part of being here is being with a lot of like minded individuals.”
I asked Bloomingburg about the students at Union outside of her circulation staff and what it looked like to build a connection with them.
“That’s one of my favorite parts of being in this part of the library versus, like, tech services because I am out with people,” Bloomingburg said. “If I can, like, be that positive influence for a student or just, like, help them know they’re seen, I think that’s a really important thing and a really — I think — unique thing about this role too because I’m getting to combine both like the degrees I did and then the library job, which is really nice.”
Bloomingburg graduated from Freed-Hardeman with an undergraduate degree in child and family studies and social work and from the University of Alabama with a masters degree in library information studies. Like she mentioned, both have helped her greatly in the community-building aspect of her role.
“I was used to working with people and really learned the importance of really trying to remember people’s names and details about them. I’ve really tried to put that into practice here,” Bloomingburg continued, “I also see the same students on a regular basis and I know for me, as a regular person, if someone can remember — you know, my name or, like, things about me, activities I’m in — that can make a difference for me.”
Part of seeing so many students on a regular basis also means that Bloomingburg gets to see the good, the bad and the ugly. I asked her if she thought she saw the realest side of students who came through the library due to the nature of the environment and what they’re likely there to do (study, study, drink coffee, repeat).
“I feel like you do see a lot of realness in here,” Bloomingburg responded. “you can just see people throughout the building at different times and yeah, you can tell they’re either really stressed or they just need a break because they’re, like, dancing in their study rooms, or you’ll hear them singing coming down the elevator, and it’s just such a humanizing moment to be, like, we all need that break and that escape from the stress.”
Bloomingburg also took a moment to talk about the students who have told her they enter the library solely to socialize, but she pointed out that those groups still form a closeness and unity that is fun to watch grow over the weeks of a semester.
Chloe Perkins, a junior psychology major and student worker, has kind things to say about Bloomingburg as the circulation manager.
“I have loved getting to work with Ms. Rachel. She is constantly showing good leadership, she knows many of the patrons by name and asks how they are,” Perkins said. “She is a great example of what a boss/manager/friend/leader is, and she fulfills those roles well.
“She has a kind heart and she fills her position at the library with excellence,” Perkins said.
During my own conversation with Bloomingburg, a patron checked out some books. That somehow got us talking about birth dates rather than library stuff.
“You and Lindsey have the same birthday,” Bloomingburg commented, which demonstrated how good she is at remembering details about people. She went on to tell the story about why it is easy for her to remember my birthday, and I remembered all the small ways in which she has made me feel seen in the past year and a half.
Students who enter the library may not leave with a book in their hand, but if they walk past the circulation desk they will leave on the receiving end of a smile, wave, or kind comment from Rachel Bloomingburg. She goes above and beyond to make the library a welcoming environment where everyone feels like they belong.
Photo by Laila Al-Hagal
