April 12, 2015
Molly Tighe:
-likes classical music
-has a history of sneaking into libraries
-is in favor of having a library cat
What do you do here at The Jennie King Mellon Library?
I’m the Archivist & Public Services Librarian, so there are two aspects to my role in the library. As Archivist, I manage all aspects university Archives and Special Collections including acquiring, cataloging, and preserving documentation of the university with long-term historical and cultural value. As Public Services Librarian, I
work with students and faculty to ensure that their research and educational needs are met.
What made you choose your current profession?
In many ways, a career in Archives is a logical choice for a former history major and I’ve found it to be a wonderful way to explore how the past has shaped the present. I was also inspired to choose career in the library field after spending many hours in the Harold Acton Library in Florence, Italy while I was a nanny for an Italian family. I
would sneak into this then-private library, which is housed on three floors of a 16th century palazzo, and tip toe down a spiral staircase to the literature section, where I would relax into the ease of my native tongue.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A Las Vegas Chorus Girl. I love glitter.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
It’s always a pleasure to be contacted by an alumnae about their time at Chatham or to work with Alumni Affairs to help former students and faculty reconnect to their time here. Since I’m fairly new to Chatham, I’m doing a bit of research on the history of the university and I’m enjoying learning about all the amazing men and women
who have played a role in the development of our school. I also really enjoy helping students learn about the resources available to the library to further their academic and research goals.
If you could do one thing to change/improve the JKM Library, with no worries about time or expense, what would you do?
This is totally impractical, but it would be great to have a resident cat. On a practical level, I’d love a cold storage environment to help preserve our film and photograph collections.
What do you like to do on your days off?
I’m a classical music fan, so I attend Pittsburgh Symphony concerts pretty regularly. I love to practice yoga and the weekends are great time to take classes with Pittsburgh’s many fantastic teachers or with a visiting “yoga-lebrity.” I like to go hiking with my husband and we often make road trips to small historical societies or
history sites.
What’s the last thing you checked out?
The Martian by Andy Weir. This science fiction thriller is as heavy on the science, as it is on the thrills. It is being made into a feature film starring Kate Mara, Jessica Chastain, and Matt Damon due in theaters in November.
What book do you think everyone should read? Why?
Whichever book I’m reading so that we can talk about it!
What’s your favorite thing about living in Pittsburgh?
I love the geography and exploring all the neighborhoods tucked into the hollows and the runs. The cultural amenities, restaurants, and all the friendly people are also high on my list of favorite things about Pittsburgh.
What’s one thing you think everyone should do while they live in the city?
Go to a Pirates game! See the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra! Rent a kayak downtown (especially nice on hot summer days)! Buy cheese at Penn Mac!
Tell us some surprising things about yourself:
I did a cultural exchange with Norway when I was a teenager and lived in Trondheim for a month. It is an amazingly beautiful country.
I catalogued a Christmas card sent from John Lennon and May Pang to Andy Warhol when I worked in the Archives of the Warhol Museum.
I take gift wrapping very seriously.
The library is excited to announce that Jocelyn Codner has been promoted from Reference & Outreach Librarian to Head of Library Instruction & Outreach. This new position was crafted to reflect both the work that Jocelyn has taken on over the years and the increased priority on information literacy instruction by the JKM Library.
“I’m very excited about taking on this new role and strengthening the library’s focus on instruction,” Jocelyn said. “It is my opinion that interacting directly with students, while already critical to their success, will becomes increasingly important in the years to come."
Jocelyn joined the JKM Library team in August of 2017 and jumped right into the Chatham community, serving on many varied committees and working groups. She has innovated library services and programs, such as the Personal Librarian Program, the library's social media presence, and it's involvement with the ENG105: First Year Writing course. She also increased the library's visibility and community engagement by creating a monthly eNewsletter (The Page Turner) and increasing library events.
She received her MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. She is also a member of Beta Phi Mu, the selective honor society for library and information science and information technology, and a member of the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta. She graduated from Ithaca College with a BS in film and screenwriting in 2010.
Prior to her career in librarianship, Jocelyn worked as a media producer and held roles in marketing and customer service. She was also a freelance writer and culture critic for publications such as The Ithaca Times and Famous Monsters of Filmland. These skills and experiences inform her work in libraries every day.
Jocelyn has particularly loved working closely with students in her role as Reference & Outreach Librarian. She prioritizes one-on-one research meetings and has regularly traveled to all Chatham locations and campuses to meet students where they are.
In 2023 she took over coordinating the library session in all ENG105: First Year Writing courses. She also became the sole librarian teaching those sessions, a task that once was split between three librarians. While instruction has been part of her duties from the beginning, it was during this time she discovered a real love for teaching. She redesigned the session's lesson plan to be more interactive, and she incorporated more opportunities for assessment.
From there, Jocelyn increased her professional development around information literacy instruction, taking courses through Library Juice Academy, completing the Ohio State University’s Teach Information Literacy certificate, and experimenting with different techniques in the classroom.
As Head of Library Instruction & Outreach, Jocelyn will look at ways to cohesively approach information literacy instruction throughout the curriculum and sustainably engage students with meaningful thinking and learning concerning their relationships to information and the technology used to create, communicate, and disseminate it.
“While I absolutely want to reevaluate how librarians collaborate with faculty and work with students in the classroom, I also want to find creative ways to reach students and teach information literacy through collaborations with other departments on campus,” Jocelyn said. She looks forward to collaborating with staff and faculty on these initiatives in the future.
Outside of Chatham, Jocelyn serves as the Chair of the Horror Writers Association’s Library Advisory Council and is very active in the horror literature world, connecting librarians and horror authors as well as promoting horror literature in libraries.
Please join us in congratulating Jocelyn in her new role here at the JKM Library!
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