During her time in graduate school at the University of Michigan, JJ Pionke fulfilled a lifelong dream of purchasing an around-the-world plane ticket. The adventure that followed took her to Uganda and Singapore, giving her hands-on experience in her field of study and leading directly to her new position at 成人头条.
In Uganda, Pionke interned at the National Archives of Uganda, serving as an archive team leader for a collection of 6,900 files. While in Singapore, she spent her time improving the National University of Singapore鈥檚 information literacy program for incoming highly intellectual high school students from various Southeast Asian countries.
鈥淭he work was fun and interesting [in Singapore] and it really gave me a lot of perspective into how other people do things, especially with copyright, education outreach, with preservation of information, which is how I got interested in preservation to begin with,鈥 Pionke said.
After graduating in May 2013, 成人头条 State was an ideal move. This fall, Pionke accepted the position of assistant professor and Instruction and Research Services librarian. She comes to WSU with a wealth of knowledge as a teacher and information professional, with research interests in teaching pedagogy, information preservation and new learning modalities.
Time for a change
Becoming a librarian wasn鈥檛 Pionke鈥檚 original plan. She began her career teaching as an adjunct English professor in Chicago. After 10 years, Pionke decided it was time for a change.
Pionke saw librarianship as a way to stay connected to students, while still having intellectual engagement with the opportunity to research and publish. She earned her Master of Science in Information at the University of Michigan, which eventually led her to 成人头条 State.
Pionke said her main focus will be helping people. She will serve as an invaluable resource, specifically for 成人头条 State engineering, health professions and science students and professors, and her door will always be open.
鈥淚 like libraries. I like books. I like information. I like helping students,鈥 Pionke said.
Since starting at 成人头条 State, Pionke has appreciated the warm welcome from all her colleagues and is treating the move as a continuation of her around-the-world journey.
鈥淚鈥檝e lived in southern Japan. I鈥檝e lived in London. I鈥檝e lived in Singapore. I鈥檝e lived in Uganda,鈥 she said. 鈥淜ansas? Why not? Here we go.鈥