Interview with Mary Lynne Bartlett, Student engagement coordinator: written by Alyson Fleming

Hi! My name is Alyson and I am in my 2A term of Public Health with a minor in Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies. This is my first term being a Library Ambassador and I love everything about it! I applied for this job because I wanted to be a University of Waterloo staff member because I loved first-year and I wanted to contribute within the university. This job is great due to the flexible work hours, the opportunity to work independently and as a team, and because I get to use the library staff elevator! This job has been so fun, and I would recommend it to everyone.

This term, we’ve each interviewed a library staff member to interview to help you get to know them better! I interviewed Mary Lynne Bartlett, leader the Library Ambassadors and co-chair of the Student Engagement Committee. Mary Lynne is the Student Engagement Coordinator at the library and is the organizer of all the fun events the library puts on for students. Mary Lynne did her undergrad here at Waterloo and studied Honours Recreation and Leisure with an option in Therapeutic Recreation and Tourism. Mary Lynne also has a post-graduate diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management Systems AND a Master of Arts in Tourism Policy and Planning from UWaterloo. Mary Lynne has worked at UWaterloo since 2008 and has held positions such as Lending Supervisor in Circulation Services, Resource Sharing Supervisor, E-learning and User Experience Assessment Library Associate.

Mary Lynne organizes all the library’s fun events we hold for students including Library Day, Trick or Treat Yo’self to Library Resources and Candy, Holi-yay! and my personal favourite, Goose Week! She is also in charge of the library’s social media, photography, event planning and budgeting. Mary Lynne is passionate about student engagement and strives to make the library more approachable and fun for all of us.

Fun Fact: Mary Lynne also has the best office in the Library and shares it with Sara Perkins, the library’s communication officer, and Scholar, our mascot! Mary Lynne also has the quickest email response time which comes in handy when we run out of the fun prizes we offer at events!

Mary Lynne loves working at the library because of the atmosphere and because she gets to work alongside students for students. She works tirelessly to put together events to bring students to the library and her dedication is obvious through her work. Mary Lynne is always willing to help students and her work is integral to everyone’s enjoyment of the library.

-Alyson