LIBRARY RICE - Key Persons

Alexis Latner

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Access Services Associate

Amanda Focke

af..@rice.edu

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Head of Special Collections

Amanda McClendon

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Senior Electronic Resources Librarian

Amanda Thomas

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User Experience / Public Services Librarian

Amanda Thomas serves as the User Experience/Public Services Librarian within Fondren Library's User Experience Office, where the primary focus is enhancing both digital and physical interactions between the library and its community. Her responsibilities encompass user research, the administration of usability tests, and the utilization of ethnographic and other research techniques to discern user preferences. Her aim is to craft compelling customer experiences and involve users in the design of library services. Furthermore, Amanda provides support for collection development and library instruction within the field of Psychological Sciences. She is a facilitator for programs such as the Fondren Library Ambassadors and the Graduate Student Library Advisory Board. She actively participates in civic engagement events, primarily focusing on voter registration, both on the Rice University campus and in Houston. Amanda holds a Master's in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from San Jose State University and a BA in Psychology from San Francisco State University.

Andrew Damico

ad..@rice.edu

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Preservation Librarian

Angela Brown

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Access Services Supervisor ( ILL )

Angelica Herrera

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Senior Metadata Assistant

Anna Shparberg

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Humanities Librarian

Anna Xiong

ax..@rice.edu

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Government Information Coordinator and FDLP Representative

April Spencer

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Access Services Assistant

Artemis Flores

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Access Services Associate

Bi-Lingual Election

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Clerk. Fall 2022. Harris County, TX

Bonita Crider

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Metadata Assistant

Brown Fine Arts

Containing over 200,000 volumes related to art, architecture, classical archaeology and music, this collection supports the fine arts departments of Rice University.

Burton Heisley

bu..@rice.edu

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Support Specialist II

Cathy Wilson

ca..@rice.edu

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Mail Clerk

Chinh Doan

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Service Center Shelver / Driver

Cindy Pierard

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Assistant University Librarian for Research Services

Dave Erlandson

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Head of Cataloging and Metadata Services

David Bynog

db..@rice.edu

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Access Services Supervisor ( ILL )
Head of Acquisitions

DeAndrea Smither

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User Experience Office Assistant

Debra Cosby

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Staff Assistant

Debra Kolah

dk..@rice.edu

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Head of the User Experience Office at Rice University
Head of User Experienc
Head of User Experience

Debra Kolah is Head of the User Experience Office at Rice University's Fondren Library, which works to improve the way that the community interacts with the library digitally and physically. She leads her team to do user research, conduct usability tests, and utilizes ethnography and other methods to learn user preferences, create compelling customer experiences, and engage users in service design. Debra also supports collection development and library instruction in the areas of Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy, Statistics and Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research. She created and helps facilitate the Fondren Library Ambassadors, a student advisory board that helps improve Fondren services and spaces. She has served as the Chair of the Special Libraries Association PAM Division (Physics, Math, and Astronomy Librarians), as a President of the Texas Chapter of the SLA, and created the UX (User Experience) Caucus of the Special Libraries Association. Additionally, she has served as the appointed Librarian to the American Physical Society on their Publications Oversight Committee, and on the Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP) Library Advisory Board. The UX Office supports many paid student interns each semester, and Debra was nominated by a student member of the Class of '23, and awarded a Rice Career Champion Award by the Rice Center for Career Development to recognize her work in mentoring students in their professional development. Debra was a first-generation and low-income student who attended college on a Pell Grant as an undergrad. She completed a BA in English and Sociology from Sam Houston State University, and a Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the University of Texas. A proud lifelong learner, she has done postgraduate work at Rice University, and most recently at Sam Houston State University in Higher Education Leadership. She is passionate about helping faculty, students, and staff have an amazing library experience!