At the time of this interview, Alana Coulum, 29, had been promoted to Assistant Manager of Queens Public Library's Seaside Community Library.
While attending undergraduate classes at SUNY Potsdam, Coulum studied abroad at Seinan Gakuin Daigaku in Fukuoka, Japan, where she learned to speak Japanese. After graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a B.S. in History in 2014, she completed her M.A. in Library and Information Science at St. John's University in 2016. After working in the Queens Public Library's Job and Business Academy, Coulum became a General Librarian at Queens Public Library's Ridgewood Community Library. During her time at Ridgewood, she was responsible for expanding the collection of anime titles and media. Additionally, she conducted virtual bilingual storytimes in Japanese during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amidst the easing of pandemic-related safety measures such as mask wearing, Coulum notes that there is increased public desire for in-person library programming, suggesting that she will be working to fulfill these community needs in the future. In aggregate, Coulum emphasized the importance of libraries and the role that librarians play in assisting community members. She stressed the importance of reminding elected officials of this to ensure that funding for community programs and education continues. Listen to full interview <a href="https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/r/f76639mn4k" target="_blank" style="color: blue;">here</a>