7 Questions with CMC Leader, Peggy Nuhn!
All Libraries Posted: November 22nd, 2024Today we are celebrating one of our UCF Libraries superstars, Peggy Nuhn! Working as our CMC (Curriculum Materials Center) interim department head, the UCF Connect Librarian at Seminole State College, and the instructor of a credit-bearing course, Peggy is certainly an exemplary example of what it means to be a superstar librarian at UCF. Constantly leading with a kind heart and pure ambition Peggy has solidified herself as an integral part of UCF Libraries. We sat down with Peggy to see her journey through UCF, how exactly she got here, and what she enjoys most about her work as a librarian.
Could you tell us about your background and how you got to UCF?
I began my library career at a small public library, managing the start-up of a municipal bookmobile service, and built that service over ten years, starting with volunteer assistants, and later adding paid staff. I obtained a Commercial Driver’s License to drive the bus, just a bit smaller than a Lynx bus, and conceptualized the logo/mascot for the service, which a local artist brought to life. I was not a librarian at that time, but the head of the division which oversaw the library told me I could “learn the library stuff” along the way. I did, and they supported me in obtaining my MLIS. We built a loyal following, and managing it, and serving residents’ needs for books and information was a rewarding experience. Later I worked for the Orange County Public Library System and was the voice of “Questline” before moving into academic libraries. To make that transition, I worked as an adjunct at the Olin Library at Rollins College. From my first day at the Olin Library, I knew that I wanted to be in academic libraries, as I’d previously worked as director of student financial aid at the Columbus College of Art & Design (Ohio) and as an Assistant Director of Student Financial Planning at Stetson University and realized just how much I had missed working directly with students and the energy of being on a vibrant university campus.
What interests you most about working as CMC interim head?
Being a little part of what the CMC does – it touches the future by helping to prepare teacher candidates who will themselves shape future generations — matters to me. And because I have run departments in the past, I’m glad to be in that role again because department heads, even interim ones, are there to support their staff. Being a department head isn’t about being important or where you fall on the org chart – it’s about serving and supporting others.
What are 3 key things you want people to know about you about your position here at UCF?
I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had at UCF Libraries. It’s a place where you can develop a research agenda that speaks to what you are passionate about. I believe that information literacy has never been more important than now and instructing students in conducting research and applying information literacy principles is a privilege.
The transfer student journey is challenging, and struggling does not mean a student is “underprepared”, in fact when students struggle it says more about the protocols and communication, or lack of, between sending and receiving institutions. Therefore, I believe we need to do more to support students’ successful transition to a university, and that belief, supported by experience and informed by research, was the driving force behind my efforts to create a for-credit course in information literacy.
Fostering a love of reading needs to start early in a child’s life; so, I greatly value the CMC and our collection, and the role the CMC plays in helping future teachers effectively employ active learning opportunities involving manipulatives as well as reading. Serving as the interim department head of this wonderful little library and its talented staff has been a valuable experience for me and I completely understand the fierce loyalty students have toward the CMC and the people who work there.
What are some challenges you’ve overcome and how did UCF help?
Finding my research agenda – something authentic to me – took me some time. Fortunately, I was permitted that time. Being based at one of UCF’s larger Connect campuses meant working between two worlds, with different logins, students ranging from First Generation college students to graduate students, working with twice the number of personalities, and some of the glitches that accompany being on a Connect campus, such as not having things like IT support immediately available. I learned to build my own network of UCF experts and ‘go-to’ people who have been most generous with their time and knowledge.
Is there something you would like to pursue professionally in the future?
Writing is my other passion, and I have a work of fiction in mind for some day, as well as some ideas for children’s books.
What are some personal hobbies and things you like to do outside of work?
I enjoy spending time with my husband which may involve a theme park, Disney Springs, a movie, or a day at the beach. We visit Canada whenever we can, as all his family is there, and we always have fun. I also enjoy our home, and I’m happy to share that our marriage survived the simultaneous renovation of our kitchen and primary bath. Finally, I watch much too much HGTV.
What has been your proudest accomplishment here? Can you tell us how that came to be?
Being the instructor of record for a credit-bearing class was and is huge for me. I started working at a small college as a secretary immediately after my high school graduation. My parents had divorced my junior year, so the reality was I needed a job, and I could walk to campus. I was so intimidated by professors with advanced degrees, but it helped that I could type 95 words per minute, error-free. I was the secretary in the psychology department in the morning and the biology department in the afternoon. I proctored exams for students who were older than me, and questioned whether I belonged there – I had imposter syndrome before it was a thing. I started taking classes there, one per semester, a fringe benefit for employees, but I was so afraid of not being ready for college-level courses and embarrassing myself that a dear colleague decided to nag me into registering for my first class – and I got an A+.
I was also promoted to editorial assistant in the public relations office which was wonderful because they let me write some of the press releases. It didn’t take me long to calculate that chipping away at a degree one course a semester wasn’t efficient, but it was a start, and I ultimately transferred those credits and earned my B.S. several years later as a part-time student, full-time employee. So, the morning I knew my first class had sufficient enrollment to go forward, and walked across the brick pavers to the CMC – so reminiscent of the bricked Quad at Muskingum – I thought back to that intimidated little eighteen-year-old with no idea she’d be a faculty member one day too – still supporting psychology.
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