The Technical Services Division was pleased to add a new face in September 1999, as Heather Stout began her appointment as a temporary Catalog Librarian. Found enjoying the panoramic views over campus and the Palouse from her office on the 4th floor of Holland Library, Heather is very excited with her new challenges. Although she has yet to explore all the dimensions of her job and determine her cataloging specialty, she is enjoying learning the trade, and spends her day original cataloging, manipulating records and building call numbers in many subject areas, as well as attending meetings.

Heather comes to WSU from the Lewiston school system where she was an elementary school librarian for several years. She gained her Librarian's degree from the University of Arizona in 1996, enrolling in the distance program offered by the Library School there. Part of her coursework included an internship at the Northwest Children's Home Education Center in the Spring/Summer of 1994 where she "built up the library," and worked as a consultant to the Center up until she joined WSU this Fall. This experience involved her in all aspects of librarianship, from selection to cataloging to helping the end user.

Born and raised in LA, Heather attended the University of California at San Diego and San Francisco. But the lure of the wild was in her bones, and she left the well-populated metropolis for the seclusion of Alaska before settling in the Palouse area in the late 1980s. She lives with her husband, Dan, and two daughters, Emily aged 14 and Allison aged 11, on a farm south of Moscow on which they raise cattle, wheat, peas and lentils. Two house cats, several barn cats, and three dogs complete the family. Asked if she misses the big city life, she shakes her head without hesitation and says "I love life on the farm, most especially during the harvest."

Heather enjoys an unusual hobby -- rubber stamp art, from which she makes her own cards, notepaper and other unique pieces. She loves to read historical novels, recommending The Reader by Bernhard Schlink and Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. The time she spent with the Lewiston school system gave her an appetite for children's books, and she very much enjoyed the Harry Potter trilogy. Her most satisfying activity is as a 4-H leader. She has been active in Latah County 4-H for the past four years. Both her daughters nurture animals to show at the Fair, and Heather teaches crafts. Her enthusiasm for the program is strong because, as she says "it supports any area of interest from building rockets to caring for farm animals."

When asked about her impressions of WSU libraries, she responds very favorably. She has received a lot of support from coworkers. "Everyone is very professional, forward thinking and electronically adept," she says sincerely. Although her appointment is temporary for one year, she is looking forward to a long tenure with the Library.

ras 10/20/99