Courtney Coleman, Information Services Librarian

There are two well-known sayings that apply to Information Services Librarian Courtney Coleman, who began her journey as a student here at NCC: "Persistence pays off," and "What goes around comes around." Both describe Coleman's decade-long affiliation with the college, first as a student and now as a faculty member. She began here as an English major in the fall of 2000 and obtained a liberal arts degree before transferring to Arcadia University, where she earned her bachelor's degree. By 2004, however, Coleman was still uncertain of what she wanted to do with her future.

Coleman, who has always been an avid reader and also had some background in working for a public library, took a job at Barnes & Noble and worked her way up through the ranks. During her four years with the company, she decided to pursue a Masters of Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) degree.

"I went through an online program and took classes while I was working full time," Coleman recalls. "It was a lot of work, but then the job at NCC just sort of fell into my lap."

Coleman had heard about a full-time librarian position at the college, but she knew that she wasn't quite qualified yet. She applied for a part-time reference librarian position in 2007, and was told the job was hers as long as she planned to finish her master's program. She obtained the degree while working weekdays at NCC and continuing to work weekends at Barnes & Noble. She became a full-time NCC employee in 2008.

"When people ask me about NCC, I start by saying that I was a student here. I had my best college experience here. Now, nothing makes my day better than when a student comes to me and says that they got an 'A' on a project that I helped them with."

Coleman also serves as a club advisor with Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the student honor society. She feels strongly that the position allows her to give back to the students while utilizing the creative energy that is found throughout campus.

"I like to show them, through using myself as an example, that there's more out there," Coleman says. "I like to think that we turn our students into thoughtful adults."