May/June 2006 issue
Bio: Lora Smallman, Library Technician, St. Louis
Born and raised in Granite
City, Illinois, I returned
home to my parents,
brother, sister and five dogs after graduating
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign in 2004. I received a B.A. in
Germanic Languages and Literatures. My senior
year at the university was spent in Vienna,
Austria, as I took part in the Austria-Illinois
Exchange Program. There I improved my
German skills, experienced all kinds of new and
exciting adventures and successfully decided to
retire. Being able to afford such a retirement is
still in the works.
At the end of March this year, I began working
for the St. Louis library and thanks to a recent email,
I learned that I am the youngest of all the
library staff in the circuit. The staff in the 8th
Circuit has been nothing but welcoming through
smiling faces and friendly e-mails! I serve as
back-up for many duties in public services and I
assist Joan in Archives with displays and
building the collection.
Should I win the lottery tomorrow, I would pack
my bags, travel the world, buy a cottage with a
garden outside of London or Vienna (or both)
and go back to school for my MLS.