Not So Frequently Asked Questions with Lori Warren!

Lori Warren, Coordinator of Marketing, Outreach, & User Experience
Lori.Warren@ChattanoogaState.edu

Lori Warren is an extremely versatile librarian. As the library's Coordinator of Marketing, Outreach, & User Experience she's an integral part of many students library experience. She's heavily involved with the Early College, STEM, and Collegiate High programs; reaching out to the students and promoting Chattanooga State's numerous opportunities for gifted high school students. She's also the Professional Staff Association's President Elect and a member of our Social Media Team. Additionally, she is the author/editor of several useful LibGuides that you may have used: Early College Virtual Library, iPads in Education,Teen Career Project Guide,Travel & Tourism Resource Guide, Student Technology Lifeline, PSA: Public Service Announcement Projects, PowerPoints, Financial Aid, Enrollment, and Career Services and Counseling. She still finds time to works her shift as a Librarian I on the Public Services Desk, so pop by the library and say hello sometime!
 
1. What’s the most exciting part of your job at KLIC? 
It’s a triple tie between marketing events, outreach projects and working with high school students and their teachers. I have a special attachment to the Early College, STEM and Collegiate High students. Before coming to Chatt State I was a high school librarian and loved it. Before I was a high school librarian and the Technology Instruction Coordinator here, I also worked as a graphic designer, event specialist and children's librarian. I guess you'd say my past has prepared me well for the position I hold now.

2. If you could have a signed copy of any book, what would it be and why?
Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith. These two are among my favorite poets/writers/illustrators. They used original material from a book that Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) never finished to create this book on teaching and testing. It is brilliant. I’ve read it aloud to many students for “Read Across America Day”. It is a tribute to one of my favorite authors.

3. What’s the number one thing on your bucket list? 
Create Project Based Learning (PBL) materials and garden areas to enhance the outdoor classroom and lab spaces for engineering and STEM students. As the STEM Parent Co-Chair of the project, I’m working with several instructors and administrators on campus to add a garden, classroom seating, a mobile podium, herb garden and a small stage area for presentations to the area behind CETAS. Last year Caitlin Moffitt and her engineering students built picnic tables for one of our classroom areas. You could say that she helped to launch the whole project. I'm very grateful to her. We are working with her this year to build the portable podium and presentation board. In the next few weeks STEM and ChSCC students will be building portable planters from pallets for the same space. Brittany Moore is assisting us with the vertical planters and Mary Hixson is helping with the portable planters. Casey Neal, our Landscape Architect will contribute and assist us with plants for the planters when they are done. Beginning next year the Tennessee Aquarium will be working with the new Biology teacher at STEM School Chattanooga to create PBL (Project Based Learning) instruction to use with the space. Tammy Swenson has encouraged us to add student sculptures to the space with the help of Chatt State’s new sculpting instructor, Caroline Covington. Tammy's vision of a wall sculpture along the garden's edge has also inspired us to partner with Caroline on future student sculpture projects.

4. List something about your job that most people don’t know about. 
I work with a lot of departments on campus on a variety of projects. I love to attend and promote the events we have here. I especially love assisting Mary Knaff, Sandy Rutter, Donna Seagle and Tammy McDonough with student events, book signings, conferences, workshops and our guest speaker events.

5. Reality show you’re most likely to appear on? 
I guess I’d have to say, Flip This House. My husband flips houses and I photograph his work. Sometimes I get to spend the money. ; )

6. What was the last job you had before Chatt State? 
I was the Head Librarian at Ridgeland High School in Walker County. I was responsible for the library instruction, library programing, collection development, the library's budget and remodeling the library space to hold multiple groups, two computer areas and a classroom for students taking college courses. While I was there, I partnered with GEARUP to promote college enrollment, earned $40,000 in grants and spoke in Washington DC on my achievements with GEARUP and Ridgeland High.

7. Five organizations/places students should follow on Social Media? 
Facebook, Twitter and Blogs can be a great way to get involved in your school and your community and a great way to conduct your own professional development. Who you should follow depends on your interest and your profession. I follow the Chattanooga State FB pages, Edutopia, local museums and art organizations, the Times Free Press, and the Channel 3 and Channel 9 News stations.

8. What change are you most excited to see in the library after the renovation? 
The mobile classroom. I’ve already used the space to: conduct four STEM freshmen orientations, present three TLA workshops on “iPads in Education,” host four events (the Stigall Poetry Readings, the Library’s Open House, the Planetarium exhibit, and the Dr. Michio Kaku Book Signing), and one conference session on "Information Literacy, Virtual Libraries and Educational apps."
9. Where did you go on your last vacation? 
Charleston SC. My husband went to the Citadel. We like to stay on the beach and then visit all the tourist attractions he never got to see as a student or as a resident.

10.If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be? 
Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! on Read Across America Day.