Hi everyone! My name’s Ramasha (she/her) which, despite its deceptive appearance, is pronounced as ‘rum-sha‘. I was born and raised in San Francisco and got my BA in Psychology with a Minor in Classics from San Francisco State University in 2021. After floundering for a few years with what I wanted to do professionally, I ended up being encouraged by friends and family to consider applying to this MLIS program — librarianship being a career I’d only vaguely considered in the past, despite the importance of libraries in my life for as long as I can remember. In any case, I ended up taking the jump and so here I am today — currently on my second semester of the program! Right now, I’m leaning towards a career in public librarianship because of my positive experiences with them as a patron, but I’m still very open to considering what else the LIS field has to offer.
I ended up choosing this class in particular because I was really interested in the changing roles of libraries and their services as technology continues to advance, simultaneously altering the needs and interactions with patrons. Admittedly, I was also really keen on learning more from Dr. Stephens because I really enjoyed his lectures for all the INFO 200 sections and found his clear passion for librarianship really infectious!
Outside of my academic career, I’m admittedly something of a homebody. I just really love getting lost in a good story! I love well-thought-out worldbuilding and intricate character development and creation. As an occasional hobby writer, it’s really nice to be able to appreciate all the technical and creative work that goes into telling a lasting, immersive story. Though not the most unique hobbies, I really love reading and watching movies & TV shows. In recent years, I’ve finally rediscovered my passion and motivation for reading for fun, versus just required academic texts which tended to burn me out. Some of my current favorite authors include Shirley Jackson, Yōko Ogawa, S.T. Gibson, Toni Morrison, Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Costanza Casati.
I’m also really interested in movies — which is something that was definitely brought about by making an account on Letterboxd a few years ago. (In retrospect, maybe that became something of a pandemic hobby for me.) Though I overall have a huge love for the sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres, I really watch just about anything from any time period! I love expanding my horizons and as such, I recently gave myself the lifelong goal of trying to watch a movie from every country in the world. I’ve seen others take up this challenge with books, but I found that movies would be a more attainable goal for me personally. So, if anyone has any recommendations of movies (especially from less-represented countries in the worldwide film industry), I’d gladly take them!
Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy introduction post! I look forward to meeting and learning alongside and from everyone this semester 😊📚
Pictured above for fun is the prize tote bag that SFPL offered participants last year in their annual “Summer Stride” reading, learning and exploration program! I’ve participated for a few years now and have accrued a few of these different tote bags. It’s a fun way for me to get to read more with just the right amount of reward that doesn’t dampen my intrinsic motivation to read. Last year, I was also able to get a free book as well! I definitely encourage checking out whether your local library has a similar program this summer 🥰