Every month, we are spotlighting an amazing member of our library staff. This month meet Fangfang Zhang, Serials Specialist.
Meet Your Lane Library Staff: Fangfang Zhang
What do you do at the library?
I spend a lot of time cataloging and updating the records of books and periodicals. I am responsible for fixing the broken links of our digital materials and solving eResource accessing problems from our users. I communicate with our vendors and publishers regularly. I also maintain the print version of our serials collection, etc.
What do you like best about the people who use Lane Library?
I find that our users are truly grateful for all the resources and help we provide, and they often reply to us with their thankfulness when we solved their eResources accessing issues promptly.
What is the most rewarding (or favorite) part of your job?
I enjoy fixing broken URLs of our eResources. Some of the eResources are out of date, might be hidden somewhere in the publishers’ websites, transferred to other publishers, or ceased publication, etc. Digging the useful information/working URLs of these resources out and then updating our records accordingly are the jobs I have spent quite some time on. Surfing the web for finding the up to date resources makes me feel like a detective, and it brings me the most satisfaction when I find accurate information about a publication after a long time searching.
How long have you worked at Lane?
I have been working at Lane for over 24 years. I have witnessed significant changes in our library during these years. We changed from checking materials in on Kardex to checking them in on Voyager, from sustaining our print journal collection to adopting the digital versions of serials, from sending loose journals to bind to building up stable and reliable digital access to these materials. It is a great pleasure to see our library growing in a positive direction.
What do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy cooking a lot and spend most of my spare time cooking. I like to try cooking the dishes in different styles: Sichuan — spicy, Shanghai —slightly sweet, Cantonese — mild and fresh, etc. I also do much Chinese-style flour cooking. Although my cooking skill is not that good, my family and friends have enjoyed them a lot.
Do you prefer…
Coffee or tea? Tea
Cats or dogs? Cats
Candy or cake? Neither, but prefer cake than candy.
Salty or sweet? Salty with slightly sweet taste
Print or digital books? Digital books, save so much space
Nonfiction or fiction? Nonfiction and historical fiction only
Summer or winter? Summer
