This year, Brian Nesselrode joined the Swisher team as Bolles’ new librarian. He moved to Bolles from Flagler College, where he worked for 25 years.
Nesselrode became interested in being a librarian when he was in college through a work study program at Ohio University. In this program, he was assigned to work in the library,
“I hadn’t spent much time in libraries when I was in high school. So that’s how I got into it, is through a job in college,” Nesselrode said.
He moved to Bolles from Flagler because he wanted a change in how he worked. “I just really wanted to get back to working with students directly. That’s what I did in the early part of my career.” At Bolles, he feels more in touch with students and more involved.
“When I was at Flagler, I was more focused on budgets and less on dealing with students and faculty one to one, and when this job opened, that was the most attractive part for me.”
Nesselrode enjoys helping students and is a very approachable person. He wants to be open and available to help anyone in the library.
“My favorite part of working is getting to know and working with students and faculty. That’s my number one priority and probably will always be my number one priority.”
Always looking for ways to engage with more students, Nesselrode values every interaction and opportunity to meet someone new. Because Bolles is smaller, he has a better opportunity to get to know students better. He also enjoys the Bolles community.
“I really like how friendly everyone is that I’ve encountered. Flagler was very friendly as well, but at Bolles everybody has been especially welcoming.”
Moving to Bolles has meant getting used to new technology, new resources, and a smaller staff.
“It’s been a good lesson that you should always push yourself in your work life and your personal life and in situations where you don’t always feel tons of comfort, because that’s the way you really grow.”
Later this year, Nesselrode plans to send out a survey about improving the library and will make sure to listen closely to students’ suggestions.
He is prepared to help anyone who walks into Swisher. He hopes that all students feel free to ask him any questions and ask for help whenever they need it.