ATG Star of the Week: Rita Kohrman, Education Librarian, Grand Valley State University

Rita Kohrman
Title: Education Librarian
Organization: Grand Valley State University
Email: kohrmanr@gvsu.edu

Born and Lived: Born in Ft. Knox, KY and, being an Army brat, have moved around a lot, including Germany and the US. To illustrate my wandering past, I went to seven different elementary schools. As an adult I lived in North Carolina, Florida, Viriginia, New Jersey, and finally Michigan.

Professional Career and Activities: After receiving my library science degree, I was employed for a year at Hope College, in Holland, MI. I accepted a position at Grand Valley State University as the education/curriculum materials librarian in 1995.

My scholarly interests include library/research/computer anxieties. My education masters thesis on was on this topic and has been cited in numerous articles and dissertations. My other scholarly interest is Curriculum Materials Centers. I am the editor of a book on CMC that will be published by ALA/ACRL next year.

Family: I have three adult children and two small granddaughters. I reside with my cat, Josie, and can’t wait to retire so I can finally get another German Shepherd.

In My Spare Time: I love hiking, reading, PBS, and babysitting my grandchildren.

Favorite Books: What everyone I am reading at the time. Currently I am reading Cupid’s Arrow: The Course of Love through Time by Robert J. Sternberg; Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depressio by Morris Dickstein; and In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Te

Pet Peeves: Staples left on the floor or rugs

Philosophy: Such is life

Most Memorable Career Achievement: Being the editor of a book on curriculum materials centers in the US and having some of the finest CMC experts write chapters for me.

Goal I Hope to Achieve Five Years from Now: On a personal level: Paying off my new Jetta Sports deisel before I retire

How/Where I See the Industry in Five Years: I believe in five years the K-12 textbook and juvenile book publishers will be able to serve the academic libraries better by moving to ezproxy and IP authentication instead of the use of passwords.