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.
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.
Hello everyone! My name is Vanishka Ahuja. I am a Library Associate at the Gottesman Library. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Social-Organisational Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. I am an International Student who came from India in Spring 2022. In my spare time, you can find me in Central Park or tucked away in some cozy book. cafe.
Hello everyone! My name is Vanishka Ahuja. I am a Library Associate at the Gottesman Library. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Social-Organisational Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. I am an International Student who came from India in Spring 2022. In my spare time, you can find me in Central Park or tucked away in some cozy book. cafe.
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.
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.
Hello! I'm Shruti Badge. I'm an international student from Fall 2022, curently pursuing my master's degree at Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. I work at Teachers College's Gottesman Libraries as a Library Associate. I spend my free time reading novels, painting, and travelling.
Ralph is a proud child of the Southside, a neighborhood of first and second generation Mexican-Americans in San Antonio, Texas, where his whole family still resides.
Despite these strong roots, he moved to Albuquerque to complete his BFA with a concentration in pottery at the University of New Mexico and then left to New York City to attend Pratt Institute's dual-degree program in librarianship and art history.
Prior to joining Gottesman Libraries, Ralph worked at The Center for Book Arts and The Frick Collection. He gets a kick out of helping people find what they need and what they did not know they needed. But most of all, he loves teaching people how to find those things for themselves.
Ralph is a proud child of the Southside, a neighborhood of first and second generation Mexican-Americans in San Antonio, Texas, where his whole family still resides.
Despite these strong roots, he moved to Albuquerque to complete his BFA with a concentration in pottery at the University of New Mexico and then left to New York City to attend Pratt Institute's dual-degree program in librarianship and art history.
Prior to joining Gottesman Libraries, Ralph worked at The Center for Book Arts and The Frick Collection. He gets a kick out of helping people find what they need and what they did not know they needed. But most of all, he loves teaching people how to find those things for themselves.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tolkien on my lap and, I lie barefoot in the big fisherman’s hammock, watching the morning light trickle, loving the way the ripples in the pond play underneath the ash and weeping willow, listening to the wind in the trees. Instead of my book, I read the reflecting leaves that vary in color from the shade to the sun, ponder the years ahead, and think how lucky we are to be back in my mother’s home state so many miles from Chicago. If I cast my eyes far enough, I can just about see dragonflies shimmering above the pink and white lily pads, their fragile wings brightly, steadily beating at speeds that defy the glorious leisure of a Maine summer and sudden passing of my young father.
It’s the beginning of August and school seems as far away as the midnight moon. My three brothers and I hook catfish for breakfast, race bullfrogs at the shore, swing like Tarzan into the leech-y watery deep, cannonball from the dock, skyrocket from construction sand, collect little bundles of pine needles to sew sachets for our clothing drawers. Mom sports a tight rubber cap and Timex in the shiny aluminum rowboat, as she commandeers the Great Race, a three-quarter mile swim across Fairbanks. It becomes an annual event, eagerly anticipated, with the watch keeper always delivering good on her promise afterwards of homemade ice cream in Waterville.
Our biggest project is naturally the Tree Fort. After surveying the terrain down the graveled road from our chipmunk-friendly cabin, we identify the perfect spot -- in amongst the wild strawberries, with a golden crown kinglet’s view of the water. We put our minds to task and master the woodlands, finding and collecting an ample stock of branches and even spare lumber in the slippery rain, busy as carpenter ants building a nest. But this is something more. Equipped with saws, hammers, and nails, we form a human chain that measures about fifteen feet up from the base of the towering Eastern white pine. We create a lovely open space in the tree, carefully pass up supplies, take turns at various stations – intent to build together, away from it all, but also to avoid the occasional, falling cone. There’s slight polarity as to the shape, but we settle in the end for a suitably sized triangle with an opening at the front, large enough for any of us, including my youngest neighbor who’s just five, to crawl through. On the third day, my finely freckled older brother drives home the last spike, joining the beam to the cheers of the team – and opening yet a new doorway, unwittingly just as the ancient Greeks intended; the weather has cleared, and we are once again freed for a smart new adventure…. It turns out to be a gray shingled lean-to in the opposite direction that Kim, my Kentuckian friend, and I decorate wall-to-wall with interesting pages from nature and fashion magazines – a cozy girls’ place smelling of wet wood and sweet coffee on the sly.
Jennifer Govan is Library Director and Senior Librarian at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds a BA Combined Honours in English and French from The University of Exeter, England, and a Masters of Librarianship from The College of Librarianship Wales, The University of Wales. An enthusiastic member of the Library Services team, she specializes in the provision of research and information by providing library information sessions, research consultations, archives assistance, and in-person/online reference service. She runs the Gottesman Libraries Education Program of collaborative events and offerings whose goal is to inform students, faculty and staff about the latest thinking in education, in ways that engage members of the community with one another and with a broad range of educational experts. She brings wide experience in library collection management, K-12 collections and services, archives, access services, and outreach through her dedicated work at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Image: Girl in a Hammock, 1873, by Winslow Homer (The Lunder Collection, Colby Museum of Art), Wikimedia Commons.
Tolkien on my lap and, I lie barefoot in the big fisherman’s hammock, watching the morning light trickle, loving the way the ripples in the pond play underneath the ash and weeping willow, listening to the wind in the trees. Instead of my book, I read the reflecting leaves that vary in color from the shade to the sun, ponder the years ahead, and think how lucky we are to be back in my mother’s home state so many miles from Chicago. If I cast my eyes far enough, I can just about see dragonflies shimmering above the pink and white lily pads, their fragile wings brightly, steadily beating at speeds that defy the glorious leisure of a Maine summer and sudden passing of my young father.
It’s the beginning of August and school seems as far away as the midnight moon. My three brothers and I hook catfish for breakfast, race bullfrogs at the shore, swing like Tarzan into the leech-y watery deep, cannonball from the dock, skyrocket from construction sand, collect little bundles of pine needles to sew sachets for our clothing drawers. Mom sports a tight rubber cap and Timex in the shiny aluminum rowboat, as she commandeers the Great Race, a three-quarter mile swim across Fairbanks. It becomes an annual event, eagerly anticipated, with the watch keeper always delivering good on her promise afterwards of homemade ice cream in Waterville.
Our biggest project is naturally the Tree Fort. After surveying the terrain down the graveled road from our chipmunk-friendly cabin, we identify the perfect spot -- in amongst the wild strawberries, with a golden crown kinglet’s view of the water. We put our minds to task and master the woodlands, finding and collecting an ample stock of branches and even spare lumber in the slippery rain, busy as carpenter ants building a nest. But this is something more. Equipped with saws, hammers, and nails, we form a human chain that measures about fifteen feet up from the base of the towering Eastern white pine. We create a lovely open space in the tree, carefully pass up supplies, take turns at various stations – intent to build together, away from it all, but also to avoid the occasional, falling cone. There’s slight polarity as to the shape, but we settle in the end for a suitably sized triangle with an opening at the front, large enough for any of us, including my youngest neighbor who’s just five, to crawl through. On the third day, my finely freckled older brother drives home the last spike, joining the beam to the cheers of the team – and opening yet a new doorway, unwittingly just as the ancient Greeks intended; the weather has cleared, and we are once again freed for a smart new adventure…. It turns out to be a gray shingled lean-to in the opposite direction that Kim, my Kentuckian friend, and I decorate wall-to-wall with interesting pages from nature and fashion magazines – a cozy girls’ place smelling of wet wood and sweet coffee on the sly.
Jennifer Govan is Library Director and Senior Librarian at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds a BA Combined Honours in English and French from The University of Exeter, England, and a Masters of Librarianship from The College of Librarianship Wales, The University of Wales. An enthusiastic member of the Library Services team, she specializes in the provision of research and information by providing library information sessions, research consultations, archives assistance, and in-person/online reference service. She runs the Gottesman Libraries Education Program of collaborative events and offerings whose goal is to inform students, faculty and staff about the latest thinking in education, in ways that engage members of the community with one another and with a broad range of educational experts. She brings wide experience in library collection management, K-12 collections and services, archives, access services, and outreach through her dedicated work at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Image: Girl in a Hammock, 1873, by Winslow Homer (The Lunder Collection, Colby Museum of Art), Wikimedia Commons.
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.
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.
Roshnara Kissoon is the Reserves and Support Services Librarian at Gottesman Libraries. Before joining Gottesman Libraries, Roshnara managed the Reserve collections at the Newman Library, Baruch College, CUNY for six years.
Roshnara graduated with an MLS from Queens College, CUNY in 2021 and has a BA in English and Economics from NYU. She has also studied English at NYU’s GSAS and remains an amateur Victorian literature scholar, most recently presenting her work at the MMLA annual conference.
Roshnara Kissoon is the Reserves and Support Services Librarian at Gottesman Libraries. Before joining Gottesman Libraries, Roshnara managed the Reserve collections at the Newman Library, Baruch College, CUNY for six years.
Roshnara graduated with an MLS from Queens College, CUNY in 2021 and has a BA in English and Economics from NYU. She has also studied English at NYU’s GSAS and remains an amateur Victorian literature scholar, most recently presenting her work at the MMLA annual conference.
Samie Konet is the 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. She additionally works as a Cataloger for RYAN LEE Gallery, leading the identification and organization of prints and drawings for artists estates.
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.
Samie Konet is the 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. She additionally works as a Cataloger for RYAN LEE Gallery, leading the identification and organization of prints and drawings for artists estates.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
Victoria is the Processing Archivist at the Gottesman Libraries. She is currently an MLIS graduate student at St. John’s University where she is concentrating in Academic Librarianship. Prior to attending St. John’s University, Victoria received a Master’s degree in English and American Literature from New York University where she studied nineteenth-century travel writing. During her time at NYU, Victoria worked at Concordia College New York as a writing specialist. She also interned at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, assisting the collections manager in inventorying the art, science, and history collections. Victoria hopes to one day collaborate with students, researchers, and scholars in the arts, humanities, and social sciences so that the general public can have a better connection to and understanding of these fields.
In her spare time, Victoria reads, writes, watches movies, and creates trivia questions.
Victoria is the Processing Archivist at the Gottesman Libraries. She is currently an MLIS graduate student at St. John’s University where she is concentrating in Academic Librarianship. Prior to attending St. John’s University, Victoria received a Master’s degree in English and American Literature from New York University where she studied nineteenth-century travel writing. During her time at NYU, Victoria worked at Concordia College New York as a writing specialist. She also interned at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, assisting the collections manager in inventorying the art, science, and history collections. Victoria hopes to one day collaborate with students, researchers, and scholars in the arts, humanities, and social sciences so that the general public can have a better connection to and understanding of these fields.
In her spare time, Victoria reads, writes, watches movies, and creates trivia questions.
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.
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.
Lauren J. Young is a science and tech journalist by day and a Gottesman Library 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.
Lauren J. Young is a science and tech journalist by day and a Gottesman Library 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.