LV Life

Library becomes another Armstrong

Cassandra Armstrong works behind the scenes at Wilson Library cataloging books. Her work makes it possible to find the texts needed for research. / photo by Jason Cooper
Cassandra Armstrong works behind the scenes at Wilson Library cataloging books. Her work makes it possible to find the texts needed for research. / photo by Jason Cooper

by Stacey Mleczko
Features Editor

The stereotypical word librarian often brings to mind visuals of books, scorn and necessary silence.

The University of La Verne must deem it necessary to defy that distinction as suggested by the recent hiring of Cassandra Armstrong. As Wilson Library’s newest addition, she is technical services/reference librarian and associate professor.

Born in Manhattan, N.Y., she says she quickly became a California girl. She was raised in Downey, Calif., from infancy and completed her adolescence when she attended Western High School in Anaheim. She had a son and spent her time as a hippie until at the age of 28. She then enrolled at Mira Costa College for a year before transferring to the University of California, San Diego. In 1978, she received her bachelor’s of art in anthropological linguistics with a minor in French Literature.

Armstrong was hired as a library assistant at Bolt Law Library after relocating to Berkeley. After one year of employment, she qualified for tuition remission and attended graduate school for her master’s degree in information science at the University of California, Berkeley.

The qualifications to become a librarian do not end with the ability to alphabetize books or follow the Dewey decimal system. Modern technology makes it necessary to know advanced database integrity in order to catalog materials correctly. Head Librarian Marlin Heckman, said he hired Armstrong primarily to catalog all the materials that enter the library and to help the university resolve a series of problems that commonly occur in library database loads.

“Cassandra Armstrong is someone with experience. It is not very common that someone with her qualifications in cataloging comes along. She is just what we need.”

Although her technological expertise is useful to the library and inquiring students, her knowledge will also be useful in the classroom, as she will conduct sessions for various College Writing B and International/ Intercultural Experience courses. She is currently discussing the possibility of guest lecturing for Keith Lord, assistant professor of art; and for the anthropology department.

Among her previous accomplishments, she has published papers on database integrity, error detection and solution and machine-readable formats.

Included in her list of many talents is her passion for communication. She speaks six languages excluding her computer linguistics. Among them are the popularly educated forms of Spanish, French and German as well as the rarer languages of Greek, Hebrew and Luiseno (of Native American accent). She plans to utilize her skills in Spanish by joining the initiative of the university’s First Generation Student Success Program, (FGSSP).

Armstrong moved to La Verne this summer from Pittsburgh, Pa. where she was the systems librarian at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She says what pushed her toward La Verne initially was its location. She said she always lived on the beaches of California and she missed it. La Verne is more inland than she is used to but in the month that she has been in residence here she claims to have fallen in love with the community.

She said she is as impressed with the students as she is with the environment. Classes have only been in session for three weeks but the students who have been in the library have expressed an interest in learning and presented sophisticated levels of research.

Armstrong developed that thought further and broadened her opinion toward the university, she said she continues to be impressed with the orientation of the school and the flexibility that exists. The ability of adjusting levels to meet the needs of varying student knowledge is always positive.

She has been warmly welcomed into the community thus far but would like to acknowledge the common misconception that librarians get labeled with. She said she is wrongly perceived as condescending but she is a very approachable resource and is always looking to help anyone who asks.

If you need library assistance, contact Armstrong or any other librarian at Wilson Library, ext. 4305 or ext. 4306.

Faculty Taboo

A series designed to reveal questions and answers students may never ask or get answered by professors and staff.

  • Biggest Pet Peeve: Second-hand smoke
  • Favorite sport or hobby: Running, gardening, cooking
  • SAT scores: I took them in 1964, scored high on verbal and low on analytical on GRE
  • Three adjectives that describe you: Old, fat and smart
  • Favorite motto/quote: We’re all set theoretically
  • Highest achievement: Completing the automation of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Library
  • Strangest job held: A go-go dancer for three years
  • Favorite travel destination: South of France, “I have been there seven times.”
Stacey Mleczko, Features Editor
Stacey Mleczko
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Jason Cooper, Staff Photographer
Jason Cooper
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