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If you’ve been in Ekstrom Library in the evenings lately, chances are you’ve seen Olivia Oestreich at the west service desk, helping patrons, organizing equipment, or solving a behind-the-scenes puzzle. Olivia joined the University Libraries in October 2024 as Ekstrom Library’s Evening Supervisor, a role that puts her in charge of overseeing student assistants and making sure services run smoothly at night.

Originally from Michigan, Olivia has a diverse work background that includes time spent as a high school rowing coach, an auction house employee, and a Home Depot associate. She’s now pursuing her Master of Library Science (MLS) through the University of Kentucky and saw the evening position at Ekstrom Library as a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in academic librarianship.

“I really enjoy being in an academic library,” Olivia says. “From what I’ve heard from coworkers, and just from my own experience so far, I think I’d like to stay in academic libraries long term.”

The path that led her here has been winding in the best way. She started her undergraduate career studying exercise science—having rowed competitively herself—before switching to marketing, then history. For a while, she thought law school might be the goal. But thanks to a few influential office hour chats with Access and User Services Head and history professor, Matt Goldberg, she discovered library science and hasn’t looked back.

Since starting in the fall, Olivia has taken on big projects with enthusiasm. She’s reorganized and updated data for the library’s gate tracking system by cleaning up nearly a decade of tagging inconsistencies. She’s also been implementing a more streamlined approach to collecting and sharing that information. Her work has already had a noticeable impact: gate data was up 127% this past January compared to the previous year.

In her day-to-day work, Olivia is the point person for any evening patron needs that go beyond the basics. She also manages circulating tech equipment like chargers, whiteboard kits, and other tools that help students succeed, to make sure items are in good condition and easy to find.

“I think organization is one of my biggest strengths,” she says. “And I like figuring out where I can make a difference, even in the role I’m in now.”

Her approach to helping patrons is all about empowerment. “If someone needs help with something, I want to show them how to do it so they can do it themselves next time. It’s important to give people a little independence.” When she’s not at work or studying for her MLS, Olivia enjoys finding quiet corners of the library (especially on the fourth floor) where she can “lock in” and focus.

Please join us in welcoming Olivia to the University Libraries.

We are pleased to welcome Cassidy Polack as the new Technical Services Librarian at the Kornhauser Health Sciences Library. With a background in rare books and manuscripts and a deep appreciation for connecting people to information, Cassidy brings a unique perspective to the role.

Cassidy earned her Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University where she specialized in rare books and manuscripts. During her time there, she worked in various departments within IU’s Special Collections Library, including reference, acquisitions, and technical services, and gained a well-rounded understanding of the inner workings of library systems. “I worked in kind of all aspects of rare book libraries,” she explained, “and that’s how I got into it and the background that I have.”

Although she is new to UofL, having started in January, Cassidy is already embracing her role with enthusiasm. What drew her to academic librarianship, particularly in a health sciences setting, is the direct and meaningful connection between research materials and the users they serve. “It’s easy to see the benefit in an academic library,” she said. “You have all these people who want to connect with the materials, and my role helps make that happen through metadata.”

Cassidy is especially excited about working with Kornhauser’s historical collections. She hopes to bring more visibility to materials in Kornhauser’s history collection and archives by making them easier to discover and understand online. “A lot of students use the current resources, but the historical materials aren’t necessarily known about,” she noted. “I want to work on making that more visible.”

At the core of Cassidy’s work is a love for cataloging and the problem-solving it involves. “I like putting the information together. I like the puzzle it kind of presents, trying to match books to existing records or create new ones, and figuring out all the little details,” she shared.

Her approach to technical services is always user-centered: “I put myself in the position of the user and how they search through materials. I think about the steps they would go through to find something and the questions they might ask.”

Cassidy is looking forward to gaining a stronger understanding of the medical side of librarianship and how it differs from other academic settings. She’s especially curious about the specific needs of health sciences users and how to better support them.

Though she hasn’t picked a favorite spot in the library yet, she’s looking forward to exploring more of Kornhauser and the broader campus. And for those interested in a fun fact: Cassidy maintains a personal spreadsheet of over 600 horror films, a testament to her love for the genre.

When asked what advice she’d give to library users, Cassidy says to be curious. “Play with the records in the catalog. Click down rabbit holes, follow subject headings, and explore. You might find something unexpected, and you’ll get more familiar with how the catalog works.”

Please join us in welcoming Cassidy to the University of Louisville Libraries.

University Libraries wishes to congratulate and thank our outstanding student employees who graduated on May 10. Their hard work, dedication, and contributions to the library community have not gone unnoticed. We are proud to have been a part of their time at the University of Louisville and can’t wait to see all the great things they accomplish in the next chapter.

Access and User Services – Ekstrom Library

Amber Ritter – Psychology
Breanna Boyd – Music Therapy
Cole Miller – History
John Schumacher – Geography & History
Keerthi Mandapaka – MS in Computer Science
Mandala Gupta – Humanities, English, and History
Trevor Butrum – Physics
Zachary Santoro – History

Archives and Special Collections

Aly Collins – An English major who wrote her thesis on Quicksand by Nella Larsen, Aly will be heading to Indiana University to pursue a Master’s in Library and Information Science. She began working with ASC as an intern in summer 2024 and continued as a student worker in the fall.

Abby Ward – A music major specializing in trumpet performance, with a minor in entrepreneurship in the music industry. For her capstone, Abby presented a lecture recital on John Williams’ trumpet solos for film. After graduation, she plans to stay in Louisville, take it easy, and find a fulfilling job in music.

Izabella Miller – Majoring in “Innovative Justice,” a multidisciplinary program combining criminal justice, diversity and inequality, and peace studies, Izabella was deeply involved in campus life. She served as Vice President of the Pre-Law Society, an Ambassador Peer Mentor for incoming freshmen, and Editor-in-Chief of The White Squirrel, UofL’s student-led literary magazine. There, she led budgeting, team coordination, and events for the 21st volume. After graduation, she will relocate to Chicago to work with state and local programs focused on the housing crisis, food accessibility, and youth mentorship.

Bridwell Art Library

Phenex Schwarz-Ward – BA in Jazz Studies
Vincent Young – MA in Critical and Curatorial Studies

Kornhauser Health Sciences Library

Winnie Pham

Since launching in Fall 2023, Ekstrom Library’s Scholar Services program has provided research support to faculty and graduate students across UofL’s campus. Designed to assist researchers in refining their methods, organizing their work, and maximizing the impact of their scholarship, Scholar Services has quickly become a go-to resource for those engaged in advanced academic research.

The program builds on the University Libraries’ long-standing commitment to research assistance by offering customized support in key areas. Whether faculty and graduate students need help with advanced literature searches, systematic reviews, or research impact assessments, the program provides expert guidance through one-on-one consultations with experienced librarians.

Among the key services offered are:

• Jumpstart Advanced Literature Searches which provide an initial curated list of articles relevant to a researcher’s topic, along with strategic guidance for further exploration.
• Systematic Review Consultation and Collaboration to support researchers conducting systematic and scoping reviews by providing guidance on search methodologies, database selection, and citation management.
• Research Impact Reports which help scholars demonstrate the reach of their work through customized reports and infographics—often useful for grant applications, tenure dossiers, and research group websites.

Since its pilot phase, Scholar Services has had a measurable impact on the campus research community. From Fall 2023 through December 2024, the program has assisted numerous researchers with various aspects of their work. Furthermore, feedback from researchers has been overwhelmingly positive. A survey conducted among those who used Scholar Services found that 91% agreed that the services met their research needs and expectations.

One researcher noted, “I am so grateful for this amazing service and how astute and careful and responsive the librarians are. This is such an amazing service.” Others highlighted how the program helped refine their literature searches and research strategies, and many expressed appreciation for the expertise and responsiveness of the librarians involved.

Another wrote, “I never ever knew about the service. Several of the librarians recommended Tessa [Withorn] to me, and she was fantastic. I’ve told others about the service!”

Initially piloted with select academic departments, Scholar Services expanded in Spring 2024 to serve the entire Belknap campus. Now available to all faculty and graduate students, the program continues to grow in scope to offer more opportunities for researchers to engage with expert librarians and show the impact of their scholarly work.

Scholar Services is a partnership between UofL’s colleges and its libraries. It aims to improve the quality, reach, and efficiency of academic research. Faculty and graduate students looking to streamline their research process, strengthen grant applications, or better understand their scholarly impact are encouraged to take advantage of this unique service.

To learn more or schedule a consultation, visit the Scholar Services webpage.