Continuing the new series about getting to know our lovely colleagues, next up are Rich & Kerry…
If you’d like to submit your answers to the Q+A, fill out the template and send it to library.innovation@sussex.ac.uk, or get in touch with the Blog Admins – Kate, Kerry & Sam.
We’d like to include a brief biography before the Q+A. To help with this, could you tell us, in a couple of sentences, where you’re from, where you live now, and a little bit about your working life so far…
I was born in East Yorkshire and moved to Brighton in 2015. I started working at the University of Sussex in November 2018 having previously worked at the National Gallery.
What’s your favourite part of the library?
I love the design of the roof.
Tell us about your journey into work.
By bus, having first stopped at No.13 on Lewes Road for a coffee.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen or heard in the library?
I’ve obviously not been observant enough in the library, it’s all been disappointingly normal so far.
Which book/film/album changed your life?
As an undergraduate, my university had a print room where you could have somebody else do your photocopying for the same price as the self-service machines. While copies were being made I’d usually have a quick pint at the Student Union bar which, by happy coincidence, was in the same building. One day though I got chatting to the person working the photocopier and we’ve been married now for eleven years. So somewhere in my old university’s library is a book, containing an article on medieval farming methods, which definitely changed my life for the better.
What is the worst job you’ve ever done? (Careful…)
Washing pots in a seaside café for £1.25 an hour felt pretty grim at the time.
What do you feel most proud of, in your work here?
I can’t take any credit for it but I knew on my first day that I’d joined a fantastic team. I’m most proud of having the chance to contribute to their work.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
I studied medieval medicine for a while so maybe I could make my fortune selling plague cures in fourteenth century London. Failing that, I’d head to Edinburgh in July 2008 to see Tom Waits at his last UK concert (I’m not at all bitter that I missed it at the time).
How do you relax?
I’m not very good at relaxing but, when I do, it usually involves cooking.
What keeps you awake at night?
Living in Hanover it’s either students or seagulls.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
My brother’s still looking for his big break in the acting profession so I should probably give him the gig.
We’d like to include a brief biography before the Q+A. To help with this, could you tell us, in a couple of sentences, where you’re from, where you live now, and a little bit about your working life so far…
I’m a Brightonian. I’ve seen the city change a lot since I was a child growing up here. I currently live in Hove with my husband and cat, Bagpuss.
Since graduating I’ve done various jobs, mostly very dull ones in banking and accounting. I worked in Vienna for a couple of years for an eyewear distribution company and now I’m here in the Library working in Collection Development.
What’s your favourite part of the library?
I like the main front staircase with the painting of Sir Richard Attenborough on the wall and the large window at the front of the building looking out over Library Square.
Tell us about your journey into work.
It involves a long and boring bus journey from Portland Road in Hove to campus. I’m usually still very sleepy in the morning (leaving home around 7.20am) and zone out by listening to music on my headphones and scrolling though endless images on Instagram.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen or heard in the library?
I don’t think I’ve ever encountered anything particularly strange in the Library? Maybe Maria Menezes!
Which book/film/album changed your life?
This is a tough one but I’m going with the album Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins. A boy in my class recorded and gave me a copy of the album on tape one morning on the school bus in 1993. I was 15 and the music had such an impact on me at the time. I think I’ve probably listened to this album more times than any other and I know every single detail of the songs by heart. I have such nostalgic memories of listening to the tape really loud on my Walkman.
What is the worst job you’ve ever done? (Careful…)
So many to choose from! The winner is probably the waitress job I had at a really popular restaurant (it’s no longer there) as a student in Liverpool. The owner was horrible (he used to sit in the basement watching everyone on CCTV screens), we were over worked, shouted at, and paid really badly. Oh and the food was terrible. They used to ‘recycle’ the side salads if they looked untouched.
What do you feel most proud of, in your work here?
I’m proud of my colleagues and the fantastic work we all do here to provide the best possible library services. I’d like to think that I play a little part in that.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
So many options! I studied 16th century history and have always been intrigued by Henry VIII and his many wives. It would be brilliant to be a fly on the wall during those times. I don’t think I would actually want to live during the 1500s though – I’d probably end up getting my head chopped off!
How do you relax?
I’m rather keen on binge watching shows on Netflix as a way to relax. Either that or listening to music (both at home and live) and dancing around my kitchen.
What keeps you awake at night?
My cat. Her favourite thing is to whack me around the head anytime from about 4am onwards.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Velma Dinkley from Scooby Doo.