Our Staff

Yousif Adam is a Library Associate at Teachers College. He is currently pursuing further studies in sustainability Science at Columbia University. Adam holds B.Sc. in petroleum engineering from the University of Khartoum and an M.Sc. in environmental engineering from the American University in Cairo (AUC). Adam's recent educational and research background has been focused on exploring ways to manage wastewater and make wastewater systems environmentally sustainable. In his master’s thesis, he investigated the use of microalgae for nutrient removal, CO2 mitigation, and biomass production from wastewater. Adam is thrilled to join the Teachers College community to gain new insights regarding library services, assist library users with the needed services, and continually expand his network.

Prior to joining the Teachers College staff as a Library Assistant, I was employed at City College of New York as a CUNY Office Assistant. There my job involved the purchasing of print books and electronic books for the campus libraries. I also assisted in the commercial binding operations of library materials. As a person with roots in the Caribbean I do have a love of African American and Caribbean history which directed my path to a bachelor of arts degree in History with a minor in English from Hunter
College. In my spare time I look forward to the outdoors and also expanding on my love of Broadway plays and musicals. I look forward to seeing as many as possible mainly the newbies and some of the older favorites.

Soeun is an Art and Design Library Associate of Gottesman Libraries. Previously, she worked as a Circulation and Reference and Library Assistant at RISD's Fleet Library. She holds a B.F.A. in Sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design. Soeun is a multidisciplinary artist working with sculpture, performance, and technology to question what it is to be living inside of a body. 

Lauren is currently pursuing an M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College. Prior to her enrollment at Teachers College, she obtained a Bachelor of Science and Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin in Human Development and Family Science with certification in Forensic Science. Her academic and research interests center around Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, violence, and aggression. In her free time, Lauren enjoys writing for her blog The Forensic Perspective, engaging with the fashion world, and spending time with her cat Luna.

Hi! My name is Ashley and I’m currently pursuing an MS in Computer Science at Columbia Engineering. I did my BS in Game Design and Development at RIT, and have made games for personal projects and for work. I decided to continue my education here in order to become a more competent programmer and I aspire to become a software engineer. In my free time I like cooking and painting.

Tim is the Web Services and Systems Librarian at Teachers College. Prior to joining the staff, he served as the Online Services Librarian at Manhattanville College. He brings his mastery of content management systems and data migration from that position. A long, long time ago he graduated from CUNY-Queens College with a Master's Degree in Library Science. Before that, he received a Bachelor's Degree in Peace Studies from Manhattan College. He likes to teach himself graphic design and coding languages in his free time, and is a slow learner on both. He is a native and lifetime resident of the tristate area, and likes to lord his knowledge of how to drive, walk, and bike around Manhattan over others.

Born in Washington, D.C.  and raised in Chicago, Jennifer grew up in a family that engaged with justice, art, and education. Her father was a corporate lawyer and constitutional delegate for the state of Illinois; her mother, an artist from Maine who worked with lithograph, acrylic, cloth, and mixed mediums; her stepfather, a British geology professor and university finance administrator; her English stepmother, an English teacher in Africa. Their example inspired in her deep respect for binding human customs or practices; learning, teaching, and research; and creativity in expression.

The most interesting aspect of libraries, for her, is creating spaces that nurture the continual educational growth of our patrons -- spaces, both physical and virtual, that are research-oriented, collegial, collaborative, innovative, creative, tuned to our needs and times, yet informed by history, its life lessons, and future thinking. These spaces embrace the wide scope of collections, services, and that little bit extra -- the Gottesman Libraries' Education Program. As Library Director and Senior Librarian she provides direction and oversees the work of all all units, with a focus on administration, budget, relations, content management, communication, programming, and user engagement.

Jennifer brings wide experience through decades of dedicated work at Teachers College in reference service, library collection management, K-12 collections, archives, access, and outreach. She holds a BA Combined Honors in English and French from The University of Exeter, England, and a Master of Librarianship from The College of Librarianship Wales, The University of Wales. She taught English in southern France; has family throughout the United States and United Kingdom; and was once described by a library colleague as a "world citizen" though she has lived with her own family in Manhattan for many years.

Ava is the Research and Instruction Librarian at Gottesman Libraries. A native New Yorker, she grew up just a few blocks east of Morningside Park in Harlem. Prior to joining the team at Teachers College, she worked at CUNY’s Bronx Community College Library and Pratt Institute Libraries. She was a Junior Fellow in the Library of Congress' Office of Literary Initiatives and spent a year in Spain teaching at a bilingual high school. She received an MSLIS with an advanced certificate in Digital Humanities from Pratt Institute’s School of Information and a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She enjoys going camping, discovering new authors, and editing Wikipedia articles. 

Subina is a Library Associate at Gottesman Libraries and a graduate student in the Spirituality Mind Body concentration of the Master’s program in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College. Subina is the co-author of the Parsis of Singapore. Currently she is researching her next book on creating an integrated whole self and is starting her online podcast on what is our spiritual essence. A visual artist and poet, she likes to combine her multimedia approach into her exhibitions and work. An avid bridge player, she is stretched for time as she tries to read as much as she can.

Roshnara Kissoon is the Reserves and Support Services Librarian at Gottesman Libraries. Before joining Teachers College, Roshnara managed the course reserve service and collections at the Newman Library, Baruch College, CUNY.  

Roshnara is most gratified when she can more easily connect students and faculty to resources needed for their coursework, teaching, and research, and when locating particularly elusive materials.

Roshnara received her MLS from Queens College, CUNY and has a BA in English and Economics from NYU. She has also studied English Literature at NYU’s GSAS and remains an amateur Victorian literature scholar.

Samie Konet is a Special and Digital Collections Library Associate for the Gottesman Libraries. Konet is currently a second-year graduate student in the Library and Sciences graduate program at Pratt Institute, pursuing a concentration in Archives. 

Konet is interested in the complexities of preserving digital media and cultural heritage through the use of open-source technologies, linked data and community-forward initiatives. She received a B.F.A. from the Cleveland Institute of Art in Drawing and Printmaking. 

In her free time, Samie enjoys tinkering with computers, going to art museums, and updating an ongoing playlist of jazz and ambient music she discovers weekly.

Kaul is a Library Associate at Gottesman Libraries. She is currently a student in the School Psychology program at Teachers College. Prior to moving to New York, she attended the University of Utah where she earned a B.S. in Psychology. In her free time she likes to make new recipes, take pictures, and spend time with friends and family.

Anna is the Circulation and User Experience Librarian at Gottesman Libraries. Prior to joining the staff, she worked at Portland State University Library in Portland, OR as a Circulation Technician and as a Page in the Periodicals division at the New York Public Library.

Anna is currently an MLIS candidate at the Pratt Institute School of Information and an intern at the American Natural History Museum’s research library, enriching metadata in their digital collections. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Conflict Resolution at Portland State University.

Outside of work she is usually in a park, crafting, or hanging out with her two lovely cats.

Conrad Lochner joins the Gottesman Libraries as the new Special Collections and Digital Librarian. In the past, he has enjoyed the opportunity to engage with a multitude of collections and non-profit organizations such as Sesame Workshop, PEN America, Swiss Institute, and Performa. A curator at heart, Conrad seeks to discover and increase the accessibility of the diverse holdings that archival and library collections steward. 

As a graduate of Pratt Institute’s School of Information (2013), Conrad utilized technology-driven pedagogy to develop a critical understanding of art-based collections, focusing on intersectional issues concerning ownership, provenance, and decolonization. Previous to pursuing his graduate degree, Conrad attended Hunter College (2010) where he pursued degrees in Literature and Philosophy, with a particular interest in post-war poetry, counter-culture, and thought—three areas which continue to influence the acquisitions of his own personal collection. 

Hi everyone! My name is Patti and I’m a Library Associate at Gottesman Libraries. I’m currently pursuing a Ph.D. in School Psychology here at Teachers College. I received a BS in Psychology and Music at William & Mary before attending TC. When I have free time, I like to play piano, spend time with friends and family, and explore the city!

Amber is the Manager of Operations at Gottesman Libraries. A first generation NY native, she's lived all around the state including Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, Westchester and Orange County. While she holds an undergraduate degree from Manhattanville College in biology and sociology, her career path has led from STEM non-profit to higher education. A self proclaimed foodie, she appreciates connecting with her Asian, Latin, and European roots through cooking and discovering new restaurants. When she isn't frequenting her kickboxing, yoga and cycling classes, she enjoys the arts of reading and writing poetry, canvas painting and listening to music.

Victoria is the Processing Archivist for Special Collections at the Gottesman Libraries. Prior to joining the staff, Victoria worked at the New York Public Library and was a museum collections management intern at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut. Before delving into the world of libraries, archives, and museums, Victoria worked in higher education as a writing tutor and writing specialist at Manhattanville College and Concordia College New York. In preserving and stewarding collections, Victoria hopes to forge connections with researchers across disciplines so that the public can have a better connection to and understanding of  scholarship.  

Victoria earned their MLIS from St. John’s University, concentrating their coursework on archives and academic librarianship. They received a Master’s degree in English and American Literature from New York University where they studied nineteenth-century travel writing. These studies informed Victoria’s professional practice, through which they strive to acknowledge the power that descriptive language and narrative hold over access to and interpretation of information. 

Victoria’s creative work can be found in the journals Impossible Archetype and Cathexis Northwest Press. In their spare time, Victoria reads, writes, watches movies, and plays video games. 

Arunika is a second-year student in the Developmental Psychology masters program. In addition to being a full-time student, Arunika works part-time at the Gottesman Libraries as an Associate. As the Departmental Senator  Arunika represents the Department of  Human Development in the Student Senate and also serves as the Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee in the Senate. A fun fact about Arunika is that she is a trained Indian classical and folk dancer. Additionally, she performed in Columbia's Middle Eastern dance troupe in 2022-23. Among other things, she likes to paint and bake.

Sally is a Library Associate at Gottesman Libraries and a graduate student in the Mental Health Counseling program at Teachers College. She has a particular interest in couples therapy, as she perceives it as a way to help individuals understand that each person has their subjective reality, and that these realities can coexist. Before attending TC, Sally earned a B.A. in Psychology at Vanderbilt University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cat, Dodo, as well as her roommates’ cats, Umi and Kimchi. She also likes bouldering and reading.

Aoife (he/they) is a Special and Digital Collections Library Associate at Gottesman Libraries. They are pursuing their MFA in poetry at Columbia's Graduate School of The Arts. Before TC Aoife worked in early childhood education and as a cataloger for Babylon Revisited Rare Books. Aoife received his BA in The Study of Women and Gender and Anthropology from Smith College. In their free time Aoife enjoys fiber arts, zines, and cooking. 

Vikas is an Associate for the Gottesman Libraries; Senator for the Department of International and Transcultural Studies;  and Chair of the Policy and Rules Committee, Teachers College, Columbia University.  Vikas earned his M.A.  from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2023.

Intrepid explorers are we! Christina is currently exploring an M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College. In addition, she holds a B.S. in Journalism and Psychology from Northwestern University and an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University.

Before joining Gottesman Libraries, Christina worked in various industries, from media to management consulting to higher education. As a mental health advocate, she serves as a Certified Crisis Counselor and a Mindset Coach, where she enjoys equipping others to live whole and meaningful lives.

Ashley is an Art and Design Associate at Gottesman Libraries. After receiving her BFA from the Cooper Union, she continues creating multi-medium works, writing about, illustrating, and animating a fantasy world that expresses her eerie ridicule of the ordinary everyday life of hers. Her works were featured in solo and group shows in the United States and East Asia. You’ll often see her around with a measuring tape drafting designs for the library.

Lauren J. Young is a science and tech journalist by day and a Gottesman Libraries' Services Associate by night. She covers climate and public health, conservation and wildlife, environmental justice, education and culture. She attended NYU's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program and received a Master's degree in journalism. For fun, she collects comic books and browses digital library archives. You can see her writing and reporting on her portfolio and follow her on Twitter.