Please join the UW Tacoma Library in welcoming Kara Peters!

We are delighted for Kara Peters to join us as our Operations & Strategic Programs Assistant. Born and raised in the Seattle area, Kara brings extensive knowledge and experience having worked in numerous roles for the Seattle Public Library. Kara will support students and faculty through strategic planning and help facilitate purchasing, facilities, budget review and staffing needs within the Library.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your professional interests.

Grew up in White Center and West Seattle with a long family history in that area. Spent my childhood camping and running around outside. I started in libraries at a young age, volunteering in middle school with my school library and then at sixteen started working as a Page in Technical and Collections Services with the Seattle Public Library. Worked numerous positions and locations within that organization. Moved to Tacoma in 2015 where I met my husband and we settled in the Lincoln District with our kiddo, Oliver, and our two cats, Thea and Alice. I began to seek a new role professionally that would bring me closer to home so I could spend more time with my family and wanted to learn something new. I saw that in the UW Tacoma Library. 

What drew you to the UW Tacoma Library?

The foundations of my love for this city very much started on campus. My husband and I would often walk around downtown as we dated and we even had our engagement photos taken along the Prairie Line on campus. I’m also drawn to libraries – the gifts they bring to patrons seeking knowledge and seeking a safe space that’s open and available to all. UW Tacoma Library is both of those things: pride for this city and love of libraries. 

How will you work with faculty, students and the larger Tacoma community in your current role?

I am in week two as the Operations and Strategic Programs Assistant so my first goal is to get to know the space and how it works for all of us as we provide services to faculty, students and the larger Tacoma community. From there booking spaces, ordering supplies, submitting work orders, and sort of reimagining how SNO and TLB can work for us and how we can get there with the resources we currently have available. 

What aspects of your job are you most excited about?

Really looking forward to learning something new. I went from having extensive historical knowledge about my previous organization to basically, a whole new world. I definitely see bits and pieces here and there where things align, but there is so much newness that I’m excited to see what I’m capable of. Also, getting to know the campus and all the people – from my new co-workers to students to faculty members. I’m a big fan of community and want to be the person that people are comfortable talking to and being a resource for them.

Could you share some thoughts on how you see libraries shifting in the coming years? What do you hope for the libraries of the future?

So many thoughts! Books are always going to be my first thought when it comes to libraries, but we are also that third place so bringing new ideas and resources for the next generation is what is going to keep us alive and relevant. The Makerspace is one of those new ideas coming to life! I could also see libraries having social workers on staff, a daycare on site, areas to eat, and the ability to check out unconventional items like tools, seeds, etc. 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love to read (surprise!), crochet, and bake – any excuse to be cozy. Other than that just hanging out with my family – we are starting to take our son out more and more to farmer’s markets, restaurants, and visiting friends, family, and some of our favorite local haunts. 

Have you read or watched anything lately that you highly recommend?

All I watch these days is Bluey, which I love and highly recommend, but more often I’m devouring books than TV. A few of my favorite reads from this year are:

Who Is Wellness For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind by Fariha Roisin: This read really checked my privilege, but it also resonated with my own life growing up in an economically poor area of Seattle. 

I’ll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood by Jessi Klein: As a new mom I have so much gratitude for this book’s existence. 

Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe: A great read from a local author!

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy: Layered thriller set in Scotland with a side of romance and the strength of sisterly bonds.

Any favorite places to visit in Tacoma, Seattle or the larger Pacific northwest?

My favorite Tacoma places are often food or beer related and I love a good dive bar, though it’s been awhile: Flyin’ Boots, Sig Brewing, Camp Colvos, Stink, Narrows Brewing, Dystopian Brewing, Art House Cafe, and Red Elm are just a few. We are also always seeking places we can bring our kid along. The area of the Pacific Northwest we find ourselves in the most is out on the Olympic Peninsula and Hood Canal. We go camping out near Shelton at a little campground where my grandpa has a lot at and Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Townsend, Poulsbo, and Chimacum are where we go the most. Highly recommend, Slippery Pig Brewing in Poulsbo and Finnriver Farm & Cidery in Chimacum!

Advice or words of wisdom for UW Tacoma students?

The best advice I can give came from my dad, “Always leave a place better than how you found it.” No matter where I was in life that advice always came in handy. Whether it’s spaces or relationships. It shows that you truly care, that you are giving a piece of yourself when you leave – you’ve made your mark and that sticks with people.

Thank you Kara and welcome to the UWT Community!