New Librarian at C|M|LAW
Edward Koltonski recently joined the staff of the Law Library as the Technology and Research Librarian. As he will be another resource for you to use in your academic journey, we thought that he should introduce himself.
Where are you from?
Ohio. I grew up in Youngstown and still live in the area, though I did spend a lot of time in-between moving around. There is something really unique about Northeast Ohio, and I really enjoy living here…apart from the snow.
Tell us a bit about your academic background.
Of course, I started university late in life as a non-traditional student. Much of my background is in History. I hold both a BA and MA from Kent State University which culminated in a thesis examining the public reaction to a trial and execution in Youngstown, OH in the late nineteenth-century. In addition, I also hold a Master of Library and Information Science degree (MLIS), which I also received from Kent State. While working toward my MLIS I worked in several university libraries and specialized in academic reference. In a lot of ways I never really stopped academics after graduation as I tend to rack up a lot of Continuing Education (CE) hours every year.
Have you worked in education since graduation?
I feel like my answer is going to be a bit like Schrödinger’s cat: a little bit of both. My time since leaving university was pretty evenly split between public and private work that, though not always part of the job description, still involved education. I spent some time as a research assistant for a finance technology company, where I specialized in data collection and quality assurance. I later took a position as the Business and Investment Librarian for the public library system of Mahoning County, OH. While the former seems to have little to do with education, I have always viewed education as something that occurs all the time through conversation. We all have something to learn, and we all have something to teach. I try to do a bit of both every day.
What brought you to C|M|LAW?
I would say that it was the position itself that really piqued my interest. While Lawrence M. Friedman and Bill Gates will be quick to point out that this is nothing new, the primary drivers of the twenty-first century are, and may remain, the law and the computer. This position puts me squarely in their overlap. In much the same way this position required me to exist squarely between my professional and personal interests. Despite never pursuing a degree in the field, I grew up messing around with computers. It is both a hobby of mine and something that I do on occasion as a side-gig. I think we all have at least one of those now?
What services will you be providing users at the C|M|LAW Library?
This question is a little tough as this is a new position for both me and the library. In the broadest terms possible I am going to serve as both a link and an access point between the Research and Information Technology Services. Ideally, I think it would be great if I could help somebody with a reference question and a technical issue at the same time. Something like. “Where do I find this article and why do I keep getting this warning message from my computer?”
So what about you? Any hobbies? Fun stories?
Well, I already mentioned that I enjoy playing around with computers. I also enjoy playing the occasional video game when I have the time. My son, Isaac, has been teaching me a lot about Minecraft. In addition I also draw and edit videos, which is even more things on the computer. I am not sure about any fun stories, but I do look forward to meeting more of the college, and the university-at-large, and helping you in any way that I can.
