Author Archives: Matthew Hayes, Ph.D.

Title: Librarian for Latin American, Iberian and Latino Studies

Library/Department: International and Area Studies

Location: Perkins Library

Years at Duke: Ten months

In a nutshell, what do you do at Duke University Libraries? 

I develop our collections from and about Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, and U.S. Latinos, as well as provide research assistance and instruction to students, faculty, and other researchers.

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far? 

I can’t pick just one thing, so here are a few: I love that my geographic area is so expansive because every research consultation that I do is different and keeps me on my toes (I appreciate learning about new topics, regions, sources, etc.). Also, I have brilliant and easy-going colleagues! Oh, and the opportunity to go abroad and acquire library materials isn’t bad, either!

What the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently? 

I recently finished Punk Paradox by Greg Graffin. It is Graffin’s memoir covering his idyllic, smalltown Wisconsin childhood, his coming-of-age in the early 80s Los Angeles punk scene, and his 40+ year tenure as frontman for one of that scene’s biggest bands — all while pursuing an academic career as an evolutionary biologist. I am also getting through Days of Rage by Bryan Burrough, an account of the war between the FBI and the bomb-happy radical underground of the 70s.

What do you like most about living in The Triangle? 

I like that there are actually trees here. I come from the land of scraggly palms and concrete. So, going on daily walks in the forest is nice and different!

What do you like to do outside of work? 

See the last two questions. Also, I recently started cooking almost daily. And when I don’t cook, I like to sample the Triangle’s culinary offerings!  I recommend Hutchin’s Garage.

Title:  Librarian for Marine Science                                                                                                                                         

Library/Department:  Head, Marine Lab Library/Research & Public Services

Location:  The Pearse Memorial Library at the Duke University Marine Lab is located in the lovely coastal town of Beaufort, NC. 

Years at Duke:  I started at Duke in August 2017, so 6 years this August.

In a nutshell, what do you do at Duke University Libraries?

As the librarian for Marine Science, I support the research and teaching needs of faculty, students, visiting scholars, and staff in the Marine Science & Conservation Division of the Nicholas School of the Environment. This can mean all sorts of things depending on who is asking a question. I might help researchers pick the most appropriate source to search, help them understand why the got the results that they did, teach students how to think critically about their information they are finding, advise on copyright issues, or teach someone how to keep track of all their citations.

I am always on the lookout for ways I can collaborate with the Marine Lab community and ways to strengthen the connection in the libraries and externally between the Marine Lab in Beaufort and main campus in Durham. I do some collection development, buying resources that support the research, teaching, and general interest of faculty, staff, and students. When I am wearing my other hat, Head of the Marine Lab Library, I deal with a little bit of everything including access issues, stack maintenance, and dehumidifiers to deal with the high humidity in the building earlier this week.

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far?

Just one? I’ve been lucky enough to have amazing colleagues who continue to support me as I transition to this new role AND I gained an entire island of fantastic new colleagues.  Hmmm, I guess that is one thing but two different locations.

What the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?

I just finished reading The Puzzler by A. J. Jacobs. If you want to laugh, I highly recommend reading any of his books. This particular one comes with access to a pdf full of puzzles for the reader to solve!

What do you like most about living in The Triangle Beaufort?

The views. I am in awe of the view every time I drive over Beaufort Highrise Bridge on my way home from the Marine Lab.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love all types of games and puzzles, especially jigsaw puzzles and Sudoku. I’ve been quilting and doing yoga for many, many years and have discovered some new places to do both (not at the same time) on the coast. Recently though, I’ve been spending a lot of time talking….the locals are delightfully chatty, especially once they hear my Massachusetts accent.

Title: First-Year Experience Librarian & Librarian for Disability Studies

Library/Department: Research & Public Services

Location: Lilly Library

Years at Duke: 6

In a nutshell, what do you do at Duke University Libraries?

I’ll say what I often tell students when introducing myself in the classroom… I help students make the transition from high school to doing college-level research here at Duke.

As the First-Year Experience Librarian I’m involved in a bunch of instruction, outreach, and assessment work. This includes leading the Residence Hall Librarian program, helping plan and coordinate outreach events like the Lilly Open House and the end-of-semester miniature therapy horses event, and co-leading the First-Year Library Advisory Board (FYLAB). This year’s FYLAB has been great for getting feedback to help guide the Lilly Renovation. I’m also the library liaison to the Thompson Writing Program, so I coordinate library instruction for Writing 101 (a writing class that all first-year Duke students take) and think critically about how we teach foundational research concepts in the classroom.

As Librarian for Disability Studies, I select disability-related titles for the collection and provide research and instruction support in this area. This past year, I’ve been involved in an accessibility assessment project at DUL, which has been a really rewarding experience.

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far?

I really like teaching students how to do research, whether it’s in the classroom, during a research consultation, or at the Lilly desk. It’s especially gratifying when working with a student who may be unfamiliar with or tentative about academic libraries and research. Seeing them leave feeling more confident about how to do research on their topic is great.

I also have to shout out my colleagues for making this such an interesting place to work, especially the people at East Campus Libraries. As an early-ish career librarian, I’ve learned a ton from my colleagues and have greatly benefited from the collaborative nature of DUL.

What’s the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?

I’m 3 books deep in the 21-volume Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. You may be familiar with the film Master and Commander which was adapted from this series. It’s set during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, and follows the friendship of Jack Aubrey, officer in the British navy, and Stephen Maturin, surgeon, biologist, and man of mystery. There’s a bit of a learning curve when starting out due to all the nautical terminology (you will not believe how many different sails there are on a Royal Navy ship), but it’s a very entertaining and surprisingly funny read. I also recently enjoyed Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk’s ecofeminist murder mystery, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.

What do you like most about living in The Triangle?

The combination of access to nature + all the cool cultural stuff the Triangle has going on. I live close to the Eno River State Park and it’s awesome to be able to go for a hike and see herons, kingfishers, turtles, snakes, and more, and then drive 15 minutes and be at a great restaurant or concert venue.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like hiking, cycling, trail running, and exploring the mountains and streams of NC with my wife and our English Setter. I’m an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan and follow the NBA closely. I also enjoy going to see the excellent musicians and bands we get touring through the Triangle, especially at Cat’s Cradle and the Pinhook.

Title: Library Associate for Circulation & Reference

Library/Department: Divinity Library

Location: West Campus

Years at Duke: Coming up on 2!

In a nutshell, what do you do at Duke University Libraries?

I have two main functions: I manage all aspects of Access and Delivery Services/the Circulation desk at Divinity where I supervise all of our front-desk student workers. I also provide reference, tutoring, and sometimes teaching primarily in Old Testament/Biblical Studies and Information Literacy. The Divinity Library has five staff members, and we all wear many different hats!

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far?

Being able to pair my niche academic background (PhD in Hebrew Bible) with a library job and feeling appreciated for what I bring to the position. That and the amazing colleagues I have been fortunate to land among at Divinity and DUL as a whole.

What the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?

The Danish novel Meter i Sekundet (The Land of Short Sentences) which is about a young woman moving from the big city to the countryside. It’s a really quirky book and the author has included several songs/poems that are now really popular in Denmark. It really catches the slight melancholy of living far out and far away from a vibrant big city. I am waiting for the movie version to hit an American streaming service.

What do you like most about living in The Triangle?

The bakeries! And the many places to hike around here. After many years in Texas, I also appreciate having four(-ish) seasons.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I am trying to turn my vine covered backyard into a pollinator friendly paradise. It’s going so-so. I have also been renovating several rooms in our house (top-to-bottom), so I suppose you could say my current hobby is DIYing.

Title: Archibald C. and Frances Fulk Rufty Research Professor of Law, Associate Dean of Information Services, and Director of J. Michael Goodson Law Library

Library/Department: Duke Law School

Location: 210 Science Drive, Durham Campus

Years at Duke: A bit over 1.5 years

In a nutshell, what do you do at Duke University Libraries?

I am the Director of the Goodson Law Library. My team and I work closely with colleagues at the Duke University Libraries and other independent libraries on campus on many fronts, from access, reference, data, and research services to library management system, collection development, archive, and scholarly communication.

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far?

People and their wisdom. I cannot express enough how fortunate I feel to have joined the Goodson Law Library crew. They are approachable, intelligent, diligent, knowledgeable, and open-minded in many aspects! I know this is true with our colleagues at other libraries on campus too, and I am eager to learn more from everyone!

What the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?

This is an interesting time to be asked this question, because I am so drawn into natural language processing at the moment. I have been watching Stanford’s CS224U (natural language understanding) course online, where I have learned so much about NLP. For someone with no prior training in data science, or computer science, I found this course to be highly engaging, easy to follow, and fun. It introduces me to a wide range of tools and conceptual frameworks that I could use for analyzing legal texts, examining lawmaking and rulemaking process, and evaluating legal research databases and search engines.

Without a doubt, we are rapidly entering the “data-driven” age. It may seem paradoxical, but what is absolutely indispensable at the current stage is subject-specific knowledge and expert reasoning. To me, this means now is a crucial time for everyone, especially non-data and computer science domain experts, librarians, and researchers, to comprehend the architecture and different models and theories that underpin machine learning and computational research methodologies, to explore how we can integrate our domain expertise into the process, and more importantly, to investigate how we may benefit from all the machine learning-driven research and development to further refine our own domain knowledge and expertise.

What do you like most about living in The Triangle?

Weather and nature.

What do you like to do outside of work?

Binge-watching TV shows, shopping, and eating (but not cooking).

Title: Senior Library Exhibition Technician

Library/Department: David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library / Exhibition Services

Location: West Campus

Years at Duke: 5.5 years

In a nutshell, what do you do at Duke University Libraries?

I work with Meg Brown to support curators (faculty members, librarians, students, members from Durham communities) from a wide variety of disciplines on campus through the libraries’ exhibition program. I support them in creating an exhibit from the beginning to the end including tracking all of the exhibit materials, creating cradles and mounts, and installing an exhibit that looks beautiful.

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far?

I enjoy seeing various audiences enjoy the exhibits that we create. It is very rewarding for me to see how audiences are enjoying the exhibits and engaged viewers make the curators happy. Also, I get to see and handle interesting exhibit materials and always I learn something new from every exhibit.

What the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?

I recently watched a movie called Decision to Leave by Park Chan-Wook. I always love the cinematography of this director.

What do you like most about living in The Triangle?

I definitely like the size of the area – not too crowded but not too small either. I’ve lived in various places from big cities to small college towns. Of all the places that I’ve been to, I like the Triangle so far.

I love Chicken Bee at 9th street. If you would like to try Korean Fried Chicken, you should try there.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I enjoy trying new Asian restaurants, knitting (recently) and watching Korean dramas on Netflix.

Title: Ford Library Director

Library/Department: Ford Library, The Fuqua School of Business

Location: Breeden Hall, The Fuqua School of Business

Years at Duke: 26

In a nutshell, what do you do at Duke University Libraries?

I’m the Director of Ford Library, one of Duke’s four independent professional school libraries. I provide leadership and direction for the Ford Library, developing long- and short-range plans to design and implement library programs and services. I provide oversight and guidance as needed to a team of professional librarians and paraprofessional staff; and represent the Ford Library to the faculty, staff, and administrators of The Fuqua School of Business, other Duke Libraries, Duke University, the TRLN (Triangle Research Library Network) Library consortium, and professional associations such as the Academic Business Library Directors Group. I also lead and manage a specialized team that licenses and deploys data and online research resources requested by researchers; create access procedures, write documentation, and provide data extractions or conversions when requested.

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far?

Working and collaborating with our Ford Library staff and the staff and leadership of Duke Libraries. I find it especially satisfying to work closely with researchers, vendors, and colleagues across Duke Libraries to connect researchers to the resources they need.

What’s the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?

Reading:  David Downing’s  “Station”  historical fiction novels focused on an Anglo-American journalist living in Berlin prior to, during, and after WW2.

Watching:  “The Man in the High Castle” on Amazon Prime

Listening: “Honestly” – a podcast hosted by Bari Weiss

What do you like most about living in The Triangle?

Almost everything except the humidity in the summers!

What do you like to do outside of work?

Hiking and cycling, reading for pleasure, and singing sacred choral music

Title: Librarian for Research, Engagement, and Instruction

Library/Department: Duke Divinity Library

Location: West Campus, Divinity Library

Years at Duke: Four

In a nutshell, what do you do at Duke University Libraries? 

I manage Divinity reserves, meet with classes to teach research skills, meet with students and faculty one on one to assist their research, co-direct Duke Divinity Pride, and serve on a few Divinity and DUL committees.

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far?

Hands down my favorite part of my job is working with students one-on-one or teaching research skills to classes. We joke that I’m the most extroverted librarian on our staff, and it’s true—the best part of my job is the constant interaction with students and faculty. That said, the Divinity library also has a bunny named Hildegard (check out her staff page here!), and it’s a constant joy to share an office/library space with a bunny!

What the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?

I’ve been reading aloud A.S.Byatt’s Possession with a friend, and that’s been wonderful! And, I recently watched and loved the show Heartstopper on Netflix, which is  a warm and delightful queer comedy.

What do you like most about living in The Triangle?

Guglhuph Bakery, Bahn’s vegetarian special, and all of the ways in which Durham folks take care of other Durham folks.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I go to a lot of live theater at PlayMaker’s in Chapel Hill, go hiking on the Eno, and I enjoy working with Durham’s community refrigerator projects.

Title: Lilly Library Media & Reserves Coordinator

Library/Department: Research & Public Services

Location: Lilly Library

Years at Duke: I’ve been in my current position since October 4, 2021. This is my second stint as a Duke employee. I enjoyed three years (~2011-13) working at The Gothic Bookshop before pursuing a dream of working in the movie making business.

In a nutshell, what do you do at Duke University Libraries?

I work with Danette Pachtner here at Lilly on all things media and film related. Processing and fulfilling streaming video film reserve requests claims the bulk of my time along with class reserve book requests for Lilly use and requests for films which instructors want to show in class. I’m also responsible for readying new physical media (DVDs) to go to the shelves, shepherding film requests from our TRLN colleagues, and working the front desk at Lilly, along with acting sometimes as an early warning alert system for basement level water incursions as I’m the only Lilly staff with a basement office!

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far?

Getting to come to Lilly Library on Duke’s lovely East campus every day and work with the fine folks here! (My maternal grandmother was a student worker in this very building during her undergraduate years at Duke, so I’ve got a soft spot for Lilly.)

What the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?

Book: Maggie O’Farrell’s memoir I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death (O’Farrell, 2017) – A heartstoppingly (Sorry!) beautiful series of essays chronicling a lifetime’s worth of close calls.

What do you like most about living in The Triangle?

I’m a native of the NC Piedmont region, having been born and raised in Winston-Salem. I have been in Durham since 1995. Although Durham has changed a lot, I appreciate how it retains elements of small-town charm while also having more cosmopolitan aspects.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I’ve recently started taking a carpentry class and I’m enjoying it greatly, even though it meets on the same night as my bowling league, which I am missing. I enjoy reading, watching films and tv. I play a little tennis, rather poorly, now and then. I hang out with my wife Carrie and our two cats Archie and Nina and I enjoy cooking but am still trying to develop my grocery shopping skills!

Title: Metadata Architect

Library/Department: Digital Collections and Curation Services

Location: Bostock Library, West Campus

Years at Duke: 7 in September

In a nutshell, what do you do at the Duke University Libraries?

I’m responsible for metadata governance and support for DUL’s repository platforms, including the Duke Digital Repository, DukeSpace, and the Research Data Repository. This involves determining how metadata should be structured and ensuring it conforms to best practices and standards.

If you had to pick one thing, what’s the best part of your job so far?

I have to pick two things! One, my colleagues – I’m so grateful to be able to work with people who are smart, generous, dedicated, and fun. Two, the content – our repositories are stuffed with interesting materials.

What the best thing you’ve read/watched/listened to recently?

I recently read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and really enjoyed it. My kids (8 & 11 years old) and I like to read together, and we just finished The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson – it was great. Also, the Throughline podcast is a regular favorite of mine.

What do you like to do outside work?

I like to hang out with my dog. I’d like to hang out with your dog, if you’ve got one. Really, any dogs. I also like non-dog activities, such as running with friends and spending too much money at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market.