Chester Fritz Library Updates

News and notes from UND's Chester Fritz Library

Who’s that CFL Staff Member?

This months staff member was put in charge of a library department as a student worker while her supervisor took a 5 month vacation. She is part of the Technical Services department at CFL and has a degree in French. Any guesses who that CFL staff member is?


It’s Shelby Harken!

Shelby Harken

This month, we are talking with Shelby Harken the Head of Technical Services.

Where did you go to school?

I grew up in Grand Forks. I attended Roosevelt (now an apartment), South Junior (now an apartment) and Central High School. I completed my B.S. and M.S. in Library Science at UND. 

Shelby Harken and her husband

What department or office do you work in at the Chester Fritz Library? Or what does a typical day for you look like at work?

I work in Technical Services. I am the department head so I do administrative things, attend meetings, and answer questions so staff in the Department and the Library can get their work done. I began as a cataloger but now also work in acquisitions, serials, and systems management. I also create metadata for digital online resources. All this to provide users access to the library’s resources. 

What made you want to work at a library?

My first job was as a student worker. After the first spring semester, the department head put me in charge and left on vacation for nearly 5 months. I quickly learned a lot about working in the library. I got a degree in French and Library Science with a minor in history and a teaching certificate. I have kept finding new challenges and expanded my responsibilities and never left.  

What is the most interesting job you have ever had?

I love cataloging because I encounter every subject there is. However, I particularly enjoyed my work in growing the ODIN network and doing systems management until the ODIN Office was formed.  

link to the Chester Fritz Library catalog entry of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harai

What book do you think everyone should read (or listen to) and why?

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Harari delves deep into our history as a species to help us understand who we are and what made us this way. 

link to the Chester Fritz Library catalog entry for And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Who is your all-time favorite author? Why?

Really impossible to answer. I like mysteries like Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Another is Elizabeth George for fiction. I like Jared Diamond for his ability to mix disciplines in his writings. 

What superpower do you wish you had?

I wish I could add an extra 8 hours to each day (that no one knows about) to do whatever I want. 


We will be back next month with another mystery CFL Staff Member! Who would you like to see interviewed?