Tara Blair

Tara Blair is a Digital Marketing Specialist for Gale, a Cengage Company. In her spare time, she is a total crime junkie and spends her days listening to podcasts—especially those of the unsolved.

I am Gale U: Leslie Morgan, University of Notre Dame

By Melissa Rayner

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of Gale U, our way of putting real names, faces, and stories to the kinds of people who frequent the library, explaining their needs and challenges, and providing creative solutions. Gale U houses 47 unique individuals from librarians, to faculty, to students. Each of these personas was developed via extensive research and by working with real-life individuals to determine our fictitious library users’ needs.

Jul. 23, 2014; Leslie Morgan Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre DameNow, we’d like to showcase just how realistic these personas are by working in reverse and finding real-life people who can relate to each and every one of them. This endeavor kicks off today in the first of a new blog series, entitled I am Gale U.

We’d like to start at the heart of Gale U, the Undergraduate Library. Perhaps you’ve already learned a bit about our resident Undergraduate Services Librarian, Naomi–if not, you can get to know her here. The feature of this article is Naomi’s library twin, Leslie Morgan who serves as the First-Year Experience Librarian for the University of Notre Dame. I was lucky enough to have a chat with this inspirational and lively woman, and I hope her interview will similarly leave you feeling energized!

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A Lifetime in Libraries

By Laurel S.  As a second-generation librarian, I have been enjoying libraries for many decades. I learned very early the incredible fact that if I had a question, I could call the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library and the reference librarian would help me find the answer. I loved to read, and spent most of … Read more

Future Architect in the Library

By Sue P.  Third-grade career day, everyone dressed-up as their future career-self, sitting in the gym listening to parents talk about their professions, proved to be the day that set my future. My best friend’s dad, an architect, showed us the new county library building he was designing. It struck me because it was so … Read more

The Bookmobile

By Ellie A.  I have many fond memories of the Bookmobile in Grand Rapids, MI, back in the 40’s. During the summer months, it would come regularly to our neighborhood and I looked forward to each visit.. My favorite books at the time were Nancy Drew mysteries, 1001 Nights and Black Beauty. It was also … Read more

Planet of the Apes Made Me a Librarian

By Terry M. 

As a young man, a boy really, I LOVED the original Planet of the Apes movie.One Saturday afternoon, I was watching it for the umpteenth time and for some reason this time, I did not want it to end. It was that day, that maleficent fall almost snowy day I became a credit reader. While reading the closing credits, I made a discovery – I discovered that the film was based on a book, by Pierre Boulle. I immediately jumped up and ran throughout the house in search of my father. I found him in the kitchen. The next room over from which I had originally started my paternal hunt. With an outrageous sense of urgency I yelled, “Dad we have to go to the mall.” He withdrew his head from the refrigerator and while slowly turning to face me he closed the fridge door. Once we were face to face he casually tossed the bag o’ turkey he had retrieved on the kitchen table and said, “Why?”

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Did You Know: Not a very catchy name, now is it…

Did you know?

Did you know…the Popsicle had another name? The very first “icy treat on a stick” was called the Epsicle, named in 1924 by Frank Epperson who was a powdered lemonade vendor in California. Read about how the more popular name of this beloved frozen treat came to be, and much more, in the St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. Check it out or call your rep for more information.

Read moreDid You Know: Not a very catchy name, now is it…