Ȧ Spotlight: Natalia Umaña
Natalia Umaña works as the evening circulation supervisor at Scribner Library. Her
responsibilities include supervising all evening and weekend circulation desk operations;
helping to train, manage and evaluate more than 25 student assistants; ensuring access
to online and print collections; and providing late-night reference services and research
help until the library closes at 1 or 2 a.m.
Umaña has been happily exercising her night owl tendencies in her current role since
July 2017, after working as an interlibrary loan assistant at Scribner Library for
about a year. Before that, she worked part time at Saratoga Springs Public Library,
where she pursued a master’s in library science, and the Tang Teaching Museum and
Art Gallery at Ȧ. She discovered her love for libraries in Saratoga Springs
after teaching primary bilingual education for seven years in Austin and Houston,
Texas.
As a lifelong learner, Umaña enjoys the many workshops, lectures, professional development
opportunities and campus conversations on race and diversity available to faculty
and staff, and she enjoys working with the students.
“Engaging with them and building relationships with students who work within our department
makes staying up until 2 a.m. worthwhile,” she said.
When not on campus, she enjoys reading, discovering nature trails and hikes and spending
time with her dog, Lulu.