Cressman Library: Library Staff

Hello, I’m Nicole Rivera and I’m Lending Services Coordinator at CCC Cressman Library. I am a 2016 graduate of Cedar Crest College with a BA in Psychology. Additionally, I have a Certificate in Gerontology. I am currently a graduate student at Clarion University for my MLS (Master of Library Science). I have worked at Cressman Library for 4 years as a student worker (while also being a student athlete playing Lacrosse) and 4 years as a reference assistant. I love working at the library because there's always something new to do or a new idea we all come up with. Everyday presents a challenge and pulls me closer and closer to becoming a librarian. I also love to draw, watch anime, or read, of course! I have a cat, who likes to take over my desk at home when I'm doing something and will chase me around the house if I'm opening a can of any kind. I have many favorite books and authors so I can't narrow it to one because books take me on different adventures and I like many different genres, including Manga (did you know that we have an awesome Manga collection at CCC?). I like to learn a new hobby every couple of months, so I can do origami, crochet, knit, graphic designs, piano, and cooking. I'm also a tabletop player in the forms of Dungeons and Dragons and Heroclix.

Nick Galante has been a Reference Assistant at the Cressman Library for the past four years. He has a Bachelor's in English and Literature from Juniata College, where he graduated with distinction, and a Master's in Popular Literature from Trinity College Dublin. His Master's thesis discussed the mythological and folkloric influences on Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence. His research interests include comics studies, religion and mythology, fantasy, and horror. Nick also teaches English at LCCC, which means that working at a library comes naturally to him; getting paid to be around books and help people research is almost too good to be true. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing video games, visiting local breweries, and going on mini-adventures throughout the area. Nick is a writer, having published one novel (available in the Cressman library), one short story, and several academic articles on comics studies. His favorite authors include Philip Pullman, Ernest Hemingway, Ursula K. LeGuin, Margaret Atwood, William Blake, Susan Cooper, Neil Gaiman, and Grant Morrison, just to name a few. He's using the current quarantine to visit some big literary names he's never read before: currently, he's midway through Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, with plans to read some Toni Morrison after. Nick is also a movie buff, with a particular fondness for horror movies, British comedy, and anything by Guillermo del Toro or Edgar Wright. And if all of this wasn't nerdy enough, Nick also is an avid Dungeons and Dragons player. As an English professor, librarian, and published author, he's always happy to talk books, or offer research help, or just chat about general nerdiness.

I am an early childhood educator turned electronic resources librarian by way of picture books, Logo programming, Tetris and the search for the always perfect journal article as an undergrad.
My name is Sheri Schneider, Electronic Resources, Information, and Instructional Services Librarian. I have an American Library Association accredited, undesignated Master’s of Science degree from Drexel University. I have a second Master’s from there, too—a Master’s of Science in Information Systems. I’ve worked at CCC since the mid-90’s when the library catalog ran on a minicomputer the size of a couple of refrigerators and the data was backed up on reel to reel tapes.
Aside from liking to be so nearly one with the machine and troubleshooting, I love being a librarian and working in the library because I love being in search of information, the variety, and the various formats, whether print or electronic—everything from facts to fiction, from picture books to documentary films—and from research in journals to research that the students, faculty and staff are working on. I like making the connections that take a person from their search to the resources they need.
How did I land in the academic library world and what are the many more things that are or have been part of my life? Tourist town libraries, city museums, nature walks, hot spicy green tea, high dives, water ballet, gymnastics, skiing, skating, ping-pong, glossy magazines, small independent press books, coffee table and picture books, storytelling, long weekends, foreign films, organic farming, open spaces, activism, art stores, independent book stores, college radio, early rock ‘n’ roll, new wave, post punk, vintage clothes and neon signs.
Favorite Book/Author? The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Hidden talent: I'm really good at souping up soup.

Hi, I am Judy Titus and I am the Media Services Coordinator at CCC Cressman Library. I actually split my time between the Library and our IT Department. I have been at Cedar Crest for 17 years! I love the fact that I get to work in the Library because I have loved to read since I was 4 and just love books! My favorite book is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my 2 dogs, many children and grandkids! Catch Phrase: ‘Elvis has left the building!’ Judy is such an asset to Cressman--she does so much behind the scenes and her colleagues appreciate all of her work more than she will ever know!

Dr. Stefani Gomez is thrilled to join the Cedar Crest College community as the new Cressman Library Director. She comes to us via Kutztown University where she was the Information Literacy Librarian and instrumental in the development of an IL education program that scaffolds student learning across the curriculum. She has a Bachelor’s in English from Penn State, a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Rutgers, and a PhD in Communication and Information Studies from Rutgers. Dr. Gomez has close ties to the area. She was raised in Center City Allentown, graduated from Allen High School, and began her career as a reference and collection development librarian at Allentown Public Library. She also conducted her dissertation research on the influence of family context on individuals' information practices with local immigrant and Latinx families and is currently the president of the regional chapter of ACRL. Dr. Gomez envisions Cressman Library as the beating heart of the college. She is committed to providing a welcoming and accessible community for all and is excited to work with the talented and dedicated library staff to develop equitable services, events, and resources for Cedar Crest Students and Faculty. She is passionate about information literacy and the need to promote ethical participation in the modern information environment, civic engagement, and the understanding of students as information creators. Dr. Gomez comes to Cressman Library during the peak of COVID-19, a time of deep cultural transition, but we are confident in her ability to lead during this difficult time. On a personal note, Stefani is married and has two daughters, ages 6 and 7, that she is struggling to homeschool and entertain during the pandemic. She loves walking, biking, traveling, meditation, Reggeaton, and Latin Indie Music. Her favorite television shows are Battlestar Galactica, Jane the Virgin, Russian Doll, and Sex Education. She is currently reading Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks, about a city that isolates itself during an outbreak of the plague in 1666; maybe not the best choice at the moment, but disturbingly relatable. Also, be prepared, she will talk your ear off about the cultural implications of modern information technology and the importance of information literacy.