Bijeta Lamichhane
News Editor
Could you introduce yourself and explain what you do at The College of Wooster?
My name is Michael Buttrey (he/him). I am the head of Access Services here at The College of Wooster libraries. It is my job to make sure that people have access to materials.
What has your career looked like, and what led you to the College?
I was a non-traditional student and received my bachelor’s at Ohio State in 2011. While I was there, I worked as a student assistant in their library at the Mansfield branch. After I received my degree, I got a part-time job at the Wake County Public Library, and I was a delivery driver for them. So I went out to their branches every morning and delivered their books and materials, and brought back materials to the main library. And then I received an interview here. In October 2012, I started as the evening supervisor. And once my boss left in 2016, I applied for her position and I’ve been the head of Access Services since.
What has been the highlight of your time at Wooster?
My highlight has been watching students grow through the time that they’re here, both personally and professionally. It’s really nice to see student employees grow, especially first years, from the first time they come to the time that they leave as seniors, to see how much they’ve matured and how much they’ve learned.
What are the values that you try to uphold in your work environment?
I try to uphold basic values of teamwork, respect, inclusion and open communication. Also, open resources for anyone and everyone. I try to instill personal values of hard work and dedication, but also having fun and being able to grow and laugh at yourself.
Can you share a little bit about your dogs?
We have two rescue dogs and another dog that we got as a puppy. There’s Stanley. He is about 130 pounds and he is a Romanian mountain sheep dog. He’s the one that we got as a puppy. And then there’s Charlie, who is a mutt. They found him five years ago after a bad snowstorm in Mansfield. He was by himself and all alone and he was probably about six or eight months old when we rescued him. There was another puppy in Stark County, and we’ve had him for about two years now. His name is Henry. He just turned two in November. He’s still a puppy.
Could you provide some advice for college students?
Be yourself, find yourself and be that person. Academics-wise, be patient and take advantage of every opportunity that comes to you because you never know when or if it’ll ever happen again. Also, use our facilities!
