How Do You Science | Meet a Science Librarian

Welcome back, young scientists. I’m Dr. Universe.  If you’re anything like me, you’ve got lots of big questions about our world.
 
Today we're talking about libraries with David Luftig, a science librarian at Washington State University. 

• Find out what a science librarian is and how to become one
• Learn how the resources at WSU's Owen Science and Engineering Library and Holland and Terrell Libraries are there for everyone in Washington
• Hear how everyone is a scientist—including you

Resources You Can Use

• Text, chat, email or tweet at a WSU librarian—or schedule a time to work together one-on-one
• Look at this cool taxidermy bear that lives in the science library
• Browse vintage photos and digital media from Washington and  the Palouse
• Check out some of the rare books and collections at WSU

As always, submit burning questions at askdruniverse.wsu.edu. Who knows where your questions will take us next.

Transcript

Dr. Universe

Welcome back young, scientists. I'm Dr. Universe, and if you're anything like me, you've got lots of big questions about our world. 

When I was a kitten, I loved lots of things. Like playing with yarn, chattering at birds, and checking out science books at the library. That's why I was excited to talk with David Luftig, a science librarian at Washington State University. This one is for all the kids who love books and who know that libraries are one of the most amazing places in society today. 

Let's get started.

I'm excited to talk to you. Yeah. Likewise, can we talk about what a science librarian is and what a science librarian does?

David Luftig

First and foremost, I'm a librarian. So, my job is not fundamentally different than the librarian that you see in your school or your public library. Whereas that librarian might help you find books that you want to read or articles or magazines, I help scientists find stuff that helps them do their science. Whether that be books or whether that be research or data or whatever it is. I serve that function to make sure that they have the tools that they need to do their science. And that science could be anything from astronomy to physics to agriculture. 

But one thing that I always like to say is that we're all kind of scientists, right? Science is so interdisciplinary. It stretches across so many different disciplines, whether those be arts or whether those be what we call the social sciences or the humanities. We're all kind of scientists. So, I don't help just what you might think of as your traditional scientist—the person in like a lab coat or something like that. I help everyone doing science. And that's everyone. 

So, when you have that science project that you're trying to complete, and you're looking for that information about how fast the planet spins or how much rain some region gets, and you can't find that, then those scientists might turn to me, and I can help them locate that.

Dr. Universe

What if it's a kid scientist, and they need that kind of help?

David Luftig

Well, absolutely. So, I have a very fortunate position. The organization I work for—Washington State University—is what we call land-grant university. And what that essentially means is that we serve the entire state of Washington and not just our students and our researchers and professors. 

So, what that means is that anyone the state of Washington who has a science question or is looking for answers or they're looking for a resource, they can ask a science librarian. They can ask me. 

I assist everyone across all skill levels, across all sciences and disciplines, find those resources. Which is a really exciting position to be in. It's one of things that made me seek out this job. So, we like to help all people, and all people are scientists.

Dr. Universe

So, what is the name of your library that you work at at WSU?

David Luftig

Well, we have a couple of different libraries at WSU. I work at the Owen Science and Engineering Library, which is exactly as it sounds like. It's the library that has all our science materials, whether that be physical sciences like Earth sciences or physics, that sort of thing, or agriculture or planetary sciences or engineering. We have all the information in our library. 

And then there's also a larger library on campus called the Holland and Terrell libraries. They have a lot of the literature and art stuff and social sciences and humanities as well as some science is up there as well. 

But we have a whole dedicated library. It's six floors. It's a big space. We have millions of titles here. We also have a map room. Lots of different really cool stuff. But, yeah, it's a whole building that's dedicated to helping scientists do their work.

Dr. Universe

And anybody in Washington can come check it out? 

David Luftig

Oh, absolutely. We encourage people to come and check it out. It's a really cool place. I love giving tours. We have such really great stuff on the shelves. There’re always really cool things to look at. 

And if anyone ever wants a tour of the engineering library, you can contact me. You can get my information online—david.luftig@wsu.edu. I'd be happy to give you a tour. 

But we have such cool stuff. I just gave entomology tour, which is scientists who study bugs. So, I showed them some really cool illustrations of beetles and spiders, and everyone was just really enjoying it.

Dr. Universe

So, you help all kinds of scientists doing all kinds of science. Is there a particular kind of science that you prefer?

David Luftig

Well, I won't say I prefer. We have three science librarians here at the Owen Science and Engineering Library. We have Chelsea Leachman, who is our engineering and physical sciences librarian. So, they do a lot of the physics and Earth sciences and the engineering aspect or helping those sort of scientists. We have Emily Cukier, who works a lot with chemistry and geology, also Earth sciences. 

I'm an agriculture librarian. So, I work a lot with our farmers. I work a lot on issues of sustainability, on animal health, crops and soil sciences. So, my specialty is agriculture and sort of assisting how food grows and how healthy our waterways are and that sort of thing. So, that's my specialty.

Dr. Universe

Did you always know you wanted to be a librarian? 

David Luftig

No, not at all. So, when I took a career aptitude test, librarian wasn't on the radar. For me, I've always been a bit of dilettante, which means someone who is interested in a lot of things but doesn't really focus too long on one thing. Which is actually a hinderance for much of my educational life. Because I've always been intellectually curious—just curious about how things work. And I've always, you know, before the days of Wikipedia, I've been really interested encyclopedias. And, since Wikipedia, I just love going through those Wiki deep dives, but I never really knew that I wanted to be a librarian or really what that even was. 

But one thing led to another, and I really realized that, although I didn't necessarily have the desire to focus on one field of the sciences—I didn't want to do soil science, you know, every day of my life—I really just want to be more general and learn more about lots of different things. And being a librarian really helped me to do that. And it also helps me to assist different people working on a lot of different, cool research projects. So, it gives me the satisfaction of helping a lot of different people who work on a lot of very different projects without having to understand as deeply as they do you know how something works. 

So, it took me a long time to actually realize that this was a field I wanted to get into. I actually don't have much of a science background. I actually have a journalism background. I've always been interested in just exploring how stories are told, and then that sort of transcended into being a librarian.

Dr. Universe

Is the path for a librarian that you go to college and get a bachelor's degree and then you go on to get a master's degree, too?

David Luftig

Correct. So, to be a technical librarian, you need to have a master's degree in library science. So, you tend to get your bachelor's degree in just about anything that you want, and then you tend to get your library science degree. Then there's some focuses you can do. Some people want to work in archives, like historical archives like you might see at your local historical society. Some people might want to be an art librarian. Or we have a music librarian. I'm a science librarian. 

So, there's a lot of different ways that you can focus. I actually wanted to be a historical archivist, but I got a job in an engineering library and felt comfortable there. You know, I was talking about having a journalism background and not much of a science background, but that ended up being sort of helpful because I could ask questions. I can have people explain to me in ways that I could understand what their projects were and then be able to assist them. 

So, it took me a long time to find this field. I was probably in my 30s when I finally decided I want to go back to school and be a librarian.

Dr. Universe

What is your favorite part about your job? 

David Luftig

My favorite part about my job is—there's so much of it. I like helping researchers do research about meaningful things. Like I said, I don't always have the skills to do all these high-level research projects that I see, whether they be, like I said, looking at issues of contaminants in our local waterways or how we can grow more food to feed more hungry people or how we can make our farm practices more sustainable. I don't necessarily have those academic chops, but I can help those people find the resources they need to do those sorts of things. So, I find that really meaningful.

Dr. Universe

Do you have any advice for kids who love science and might want a job like yours? 

David Luftig

Be curious. You know, that's what it is. Not to dig too deep. I mean, that's just a life lesson, right? I mean, just be curious, be open. And listen. You know, that's a big part of being a librarian is that we're trained to listen and to ask the right questions about what it is that the person we're helping wants. We try not to come with too much of our own assumptions. So, be curious. Be willing to learn new things. Be willing to listen to others and adapt to how others work. 

Dr. Universe

If there are kids who are interested in being librarians, is it the kind of thing where you could talk to a librarian and ask them about their job and maybe go shadow them or something? 

David Luftig

Librarians are chatty people by nature, generally. We don't get a lot of questions about what we do. So, we're always happy to talk. I don't want to generalize across all librarians, but you can always talk with me. 

But if you have a local library and then you go and you ask about, you know, what the library does, I'm sure they would love to talk about it. 

How I got into my job is actually I volunteered at the Eugene Public Library out in Eugene, Oregon. I ended up volunteering there. I ended up getting a job shelving books and sort of moved my way up and then realized that this was actually a profession I wanted to be in. There tends to always be opportunities to volunteer at libraries, if that's something that you're interested in. 

We talked a little bit a moment ago about what I find satisfying about this job. The roots and the tie to the community is another really strong aspect of this job. It's a really rewarding opportunity to work at your local library. 

Dr. Universe

Libraries are really cool, because it's one of the few places that we have where you can go and hang out and use the internet or read books, and you don't have to, like, buy a milkshake. 

David Luftig

Right? Right. There's not a lot of space in our world these days to just sort of learn and grow in a way that you're not being marketed to or you're not having to pay. You can just be you. You can just be you. You can discover things, and you don't always have that opportunity. And it's kind of special, the more you look into it. 

Libraries are really there for you. And Washington State University is here for the citizens of the state of Washington. So, if anyone has any questions, they can always reach out to us. But it's really an honor to be able to serve Washington and our researchers. I mean that in the most genuine way. I know it sounds like some line, but it really is an honor to work with our researchers.

Dr. Universe

I felt that way, too, in my job. Well, thank you for coming to talk to me. 

David Luftig

Well, thank you, Dr. Universe, for reaching out. It's great to talk to you.

Dr. Universe

That's all for this episode, friends. Big thanks to David Luftig of Washington State University. Check the show notes for his information. 

As always, if you've got a science question for me, you can submit it at askdruniverse.wsu.edu. That's a s k d r u n i v e r s e dot w s u dot e d u. 

Who knows where your questions will take us next.