Chris Frazier - The Stars at KLIC: Journey Story of our Staff

 

By Chris Frazier

My journey to this library was rather simple actually. I moved to Chattanooga three or so years ago, holding an entry-level IT job at the time. I was wildly unhappy with that job for a variety of reasons, and one day I sat down and talked about potential future plans with my spouse, Vix. I had never been to college before, and truly didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, and Vix said to me, “What if you were a teacher?” To explain, Vix is an art teacher and when we met, they were working towards their education degree.

The idea of doing this, seeing the difficulties that they experienced and continue to experience daily, was intimidating. It was the only option, however, where I felt that sort of spark. That inspiration. “Yeah, I could give that a try!” I got excited. I applied to Chatt State and put in my two week notice at my old job once I was accepted.

That first semester of college was scary but thrilling. I was doing way better than I ever thought I would. Unfortunately, things on the financial front were getting dire. I needed a job, pretty badly. I applied for a student worker position at this library, but unfortunately there were no open positions, so I had to expand my search. I did substitute teaching for awhile, held a job at Belk for maybe 3 days before I decided that it was too much for me, and eventually landed at a position at a Circle K in Collegedale.

Working at the Circle K was pretty miserable, but I was paying the bills, if only barely. Eventually, a position for work study opened up here at the library, and I applied once more. This time I got an interview, and soon after a job offer! Sadly, I could only work 20 hours a week at the maximum, so I still had to stay on at Circle K to make ends meet.

That is until one day, Andrea told me that there was a permanent part time position opening up that would pay more than work study and allow me to work more hours. I immediately applied and bit my nails waiting through the process of interviewing and waiting to hear if I was going to get the job or not. Good news, you’re reading this blog post so you were kinda spoiled from the beginning on how that ended up!

I am still plugging away at classes here in Chatt State for now, but this work combined with my work study experience has cemented my decision to eventually work towards my MLIS so that I can try and be proper librarian in an academic library just like this one! Possibly even this one itself!

 

Not So Frequently Asked Questions with Chris Frazier!

Chris Frazier

Chris Frazier is one of our new library assistants on the Public Services team. Our library assistants help out with the library's service desk schedule and much more! Let's learn a little bit about Chris in this Not So Frequently Asked Questions interview.

1. What was the last book you read? 
The last book I read was Book 3 of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook. Much has been said about these books, and I firmly believe the hype behind them is justified. Very fun and funny book series. Currently seeing if I can get Betsy to add the audiobooks to our collection, as the narration by Jeff Hayes has been praised heavily and I would like to experience that. 

2. What do you like to do in your free time? 
What free time? I kid, but only mildly. Between working at the library and attending classes, I haven’t got too much free time, but in general you can find me playing a video game or prepping for my next Dungeons and Dragons session! 

3. What inspired you to want to work in a library? 
Originally, this was a simple answer: Money. As a student, I was struggling financially and needed a job, so I applied as a work study and ended up getting it! Since getting that job, however, I have realized that this is my calling in life. The people here, the patrons, all of it is better than any other job I have ever worked. So I guess working here inspired me to want to work in a library. I already have plans on getting my MLIS after I graduate and get my teaching license. 

4. Favorite local restaurants? 
Attack of the Tatsu is fantastic, as is Lupi’s if you want a calzone bigger than your head! 

5. List one thing about you that few people know. 
Most people do not know my age and assume that I am younger than I actually am. I will be 30 in a few days and that fact blows a lot of people’s minds! 

6. Name a movie that you think is better than the book. 
I think that the Remarkably Bright Creatures movie is slightly better than the book. I think that the pacing is better, however you do miss out on some of the character development from the book. The book spends a fair portion of its pages giving you an inside look at the mindset of the main characters, which can be a bit of a slog at times. 

7. Top 5 bands? 
Sleep Token, Polyphia, Pierce the Veil, Matt Berry (Yes he makes music as well and it is very good), and The Amity Affliction. In no particular order! 

8. What was your favorite class in college? 
Currently, my favorite class was Comp 1. Not necessarily for the class itself or the content, but Professor Fletcher was an incredible teacher and he made me feel like I could succeed in college when I had my own personal doubts and fears that I would not. 

9. If you could invite any three people to dinner, who would you choose? 
Oh I have thought about this one a lot. The way I see it, its not celebrities or figures that I would geek out over, this is a list of people who I could sit down, have a drink with, and have an interesting conversation. Number one is Keanu Reeves, I believe we could talk for hours because he is a true renaissance man. Number two is a bit of an out there one, but it is Mick Foley. As a fan of professional wrestling, Mick always seemed like the most down to earth and personable wrestler. His autobiography was proof enough of that for me. Number three would be my spouse, who would also love to talk to these people haha! 

10. Spring, Summer, Winter, or Fall? 
Fall, but with the caveat that it be 55 degrees outside at the maximum. I cannot deal with hot weather. Plus Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I love to eat!