If you’re a student and don’t work at the library, chances are you’ll never meet Christy Carmichael. But if you’ve ever studied there at night, you’ve probably seen her.
As a circulation assistant, Christy spends most of her time processing reserve materials for courses at Lawrence or obtaining copyright permissions for photocopied articles.
“It’s pretty much behind the scenes,” she says. Christy deals with professors more often than students, but Sunday through Thursday you can see her at her desk, behind the circulation desk in the library. Her work seems to involve dozens of little blue cards.
And as the comedians say, she’ll be there all night. Christy is also the night supervisor, which means she’s the only university staff member at the library after 10 p.m.
Christy has only held this position since October, and her route to Lawrence was an unusual one. “It’s been a long trip here,” she jokes.
Born in Newton, Mass., and raised in a suburb of Detroit, Carmichael didn’t plan to end up at the library. She graduated from Michigan Tech in ’98 with a degree in mechanical engineering, but ended up switching tracks.
“I wanted to do something different, to pursue a different career.” she explains. Christy got a second degree at the Fox Valley Tech and is considering moving out west eventually, to work for the National Park Service. But until then, she’ll be at the library.
“It’s a job I enjoy,” says Carmichael, “it’s interesting.