The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 3 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on November 13, 2020.
Jovana Jovanovska ’23
Staff Writer
Cory Stevens is an Associate Librarian and Head of Public Services at the Donnelley and Lee Library at Lake Forest College. She is a familiar face to many students and is looking forward to returning to campus and interacting with them again.
Stentor: What is something people do not usually know about you?
Stevens: Most people probably don’t know that I grew up in Cairo, Egypt. I also went to a German school there, so I was [not] educated in the American school system until the very end. It was such a long time ago now that I’m looking back more than I’m remembering how I felt then, but my best friend from there said that it was magical. We didn’t realize it at the time, but Cairo is an amazing city. We were there at a particularly safe time for Americans, since shortly after I left it became relatively unsafe and even some German tourists were killed. Sometimes it’s a very complicated memory, because it’s coupled with realizing that it was very neocolonial.
Stentor: How would your friends describe you?
Stevens: Funny, loyal, and available or present. As you get older, it’s hard to carve out time for your friends, especially when you have children and you have a job that can be time-consuming. I try to make myself available when people need me and not say, for instance, “I will see you in two weeks.”
Stentor: What is your favorite travel destination?
Stevens: Japan. I was very fortunate to be able to go to Japan and I went with two students. I just fell in love with Japan, and I would move there in a heartbeat, if they hired American librarians that don’t speak Japanese. It’s beautiful and, even though it’s very small, it’s so diverse. It’s not surprising that in the [United States] you would have a lot of different landscapes because it’s a big country, but in Japan it was so unusual because it’s so small. There’s so much variety from city to city and I just saw a [sliver] of it. It’s just so exciting, calm and beautiful at the same time. I think it reminded me of my youth, because culturally I don’t look Egyptian as a white American and in Japan, it was the same. There’s something that felt familiar. It’s interesting to be in a situation where you’re not the majority and you get to experience a different culture.
Stentor: How would you describe your perfect day?
Stevens: Sunny, I get to sleep in, I get to go for a walk with a really good friend, spend some time with my kids, and have them do everything I ask them to do the first time. It would be a relaxing day.
Stentor: Describe a time that you felt like you helped someone.
Stevens: I’ve lived in Chicago for a long time but I’m not a native from here, and I don’t know the city that well. I haven’t had to learn the city because my iPhone tells me where to go, but people always come up to me for directions, like always, no matter where I am. People think I know what I’m doing. I don’t know if I’ve always helped people in this situation but it’s interesting that people turn to me for help in ways that are surprising but they’re also nice. Oftentimes I can actually help people in scenarios like that and it makes me happy that people feel comfortable approaching me to ask me questions when they’re lost or confused about something.
Stentor: What do you miss the most about being on campus?
Stevens: In so many ways my work has continued, but I miss seeing people and interacting with students in person instead of Zoom [and] seeing student workers at the desk. Every day is still very different from the next but it’s missing that huge element of different people. That’s definitely what I miss.
Stentor: What is the most difficult part of your job?
Stevens: I never have enough time to do the things I want to do fully. It’s difficult saying that a task is done when, in my mind, I feel like I can do more and do it better. There are just so many hours in a day, but I can finish it as quickly as I want to.
Stentor: How do you spend your time during the pandemic?
Stevens: I’ve been very lucky with the weather for the most part, and I’ve spent a lot of time outside. My older daughter is an introvert and getting her to leave the house can be a bit difficult, but it’s important for her. We started playing Pokémon GO so we started doing that together and it’s a good reason to go out. There are so many Pokemon around the area…I’ve had time with my kids I would have never had, so that’s been amazing actually, and it’s the one thing that I’ll really miss when it’s over.
Stentor: What are you most looking forward to doing after the pandemic?
Stevens: I’ve asked other people this question and no one really has an answer. It’s been gone for so long and so many people have been affected. I just hope as many as people as possible will be healthy and safe. At first, many people felt deprived and they were saying “I can’t wait to go to my favorite bar or restaurant,” but to me, it feels so small when thinking how big the pandemic is. I hope we can return to something that looks normal as soon as possible.
Stentor: Is there anything you would like to share with students?
Stevens: The library building is closed for now, but the library is very much open. One big upside is that we realized that Zoom is an amazing tool and we’ll continue to use it in the future. Students sometimes feel intimidated to come to the desk in the library because it’s noisy and very public, and meeting with students over Zoom has been really good. This is a nice discovery we wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. Students should seek us both now and when we return back to school because we’re here to help them. It’s very nice for us to work with students.
