Among 21 librarians who work at the three St. Thomas libraries, Research and Instruction Librarian Laura Hansen said a typical day is hard for her to define.

Hansen was inspired to become a librarian after befriending the librarians at Gustavus Adolphus College, where she completed her undergraduate degree.

“I sprained my ankle in the library one day, and they just became my buddies after that,” Hansen said. “I watched the librarians that I worked with. It just seemed like a fun job to sit there and every day be doing something different.”

Hansen is a liaison librarian at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library, meaning that she helps departments, including chemistry, biology, geology, health and human performance, and environmental studies, keep their books and online databases relevant. She also presents to classes in her assigned subject area about the resources available to them at the library.

When Hansen isn’t working on departmental book and database acquisition, she said she enjoys helping students with research questions.

“I love to teach; I love to help people. What a way to do that … to work in a library,” Hansen said.

Elena Neuzil can be reached at neuz3833@stthomas.edu.