Our staff are our pride and joy! They keep this place running smoothly; making sure our community has the materials they need while offering original programming and library services for our treasured patrons. We’re excited to share more about the amazing staff who work at Wood Buffalo Regional Library in a new blog feature: Staff Spotlight!
One of our three librarians, the creative, ultra-humble, and most likely to be voted “most dressed like a chic librarian”, Shauna Murray, sat down with us for the first staff spotlight interview.
WBRL: What is your role at our library and how long have you been working here?
Shauna: I am the Library Resources Librarian, and my role mainly consists of selecting and managing materials in our collection and their budgets. This includes both physical and electronic items like the eBooks and eAudiobooks on Libby. I’ve been here for 13 years this May!
WBRL: What is your educational or professional background?
Shauna: I completed my Bachelor of Education at Keyano through the collaborative program with the University of Alberta while working part-time at the library. Afterwards, I completed my Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) online with the University of Alberta. Before all of that I worked at Coles bookstore—so I have almost 2 decades of experience in the realm of books.
WBRL: What is a project that you are currently working on that excites you?
Shauna: We recently rolled out the new 4K collection. It was something that patrons have been asking about for a couple of years, but the cost of 4K discs outweighed the amount of people who had devices able to play them. With the release of gaming consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, 4K media is now more accessible, so it now made sense to try it at our library.
WBRL: Describe a library memory or moment that brought you joy.
Shauna: A young patron named Ayesha visited the library and randomly drew a portrait of me. It happened a few years ago, but it still holds a prominent place on my desk.
WBRL: Do you have any hidden talents?
Shauna: I am great at rhythm games like Guitar Hero and Beat Saber I am also an avid cosplayer and I experiment with Lino-cut prints and painting! Check out Shauna’s Arts Council Wood Buffalo profile here.
WBRL: What is your favourite genre to read?
Shauna: I’ve gravitated toward transgressive fiction a lot—
WBRL: Sorry, what is transgressive fiction?
Shauna: It’s a genre where characters feel confined by societal norms and act in ways that are unconventional. Think Chuck Palahniuk’s works, Ryu Murakami’s, or for something recent, Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede. However, now that I’m older and I’ve felt some of the hard edges of the world myself, I have also come to enjoy the comforting escapism of cozy fantasy.
WBRL: You mentioned a couple examples of transgressive fiction that you liked; do you have any examples of cozy fantasy that you loved?
Shauna: Legends and Lattes and its prequel Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree are my favourites of the cozy fantasy genre so far. It’s funny: a typical slice-of-life book with a formulaic Hallmark-style plot wouldn’t speak to me. A cozy book needs to have some aspect of fantasy or weirdness to entice me to read it.
WBRL: What was your favourite book as a child?
Shauna: The Lord of the Rings series. My dad pushed me to read all of them before the movies came out and, of course, I wanted to impress my dad. It was a challenge to read them at such an early age, but I fell in love, and it became my top fandom, even to this day. 
Keep an eye on our blog to read more Staff Spotlight interviews!
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