Spartans of UD: Joe Letriz
Dec 5, 2018 | University Relations staff
Spartans of UD highlights what makes University of Dubuque special – the people who live, work, and study on campus. Joe Letriz (C’13) is the technical services manager at the Charles C. Myers Library.
Joe Letriz (C’13)
Technical Services Manager at the Charles C. Myers Library
1. Why were you interested in working at the University of Dubuque?
“While I was a student, I relished the time I spent working on projects, papers, and homework in the library. When I learned about the position, I thought it sounded like fun. I could use all my technical skills as well as all my communication skills without having to focus on one or the other. Honestly, it sounded like a bunch of fun.”
2. What do you enjoy most about your role at the Charles C. Myers Library?
“I feel like I have the unique opportunity to accomplish two things while working. In addition to solving problems and making sure that systems are running smoothly for the students and staff, I also get to learn more about how the systems work and what actually happens with them behind the scenes. I also have opportunities to build and break tons of things on our server that we host content on!”
3. What is a typical day like for you at the library?
“There are two main facets to my day. The first is checking my email, making sure that Technical Services hasn’t experienced some catastrophic meltdown with a system that needs immediate addressing, and working through contacting vendors, database owners, and such to stay ahead of any new developments that we have going on or need to implement soon. The second piece is the really fun part. In addition to working on our own server and database, Digital UD, I get to research and implement new kinds of applications or fixes that make our day to day operations just a little easier.”
4. With finals in mind, what piece of advice would you like to share with students?
“Stay on top of those due dates! As someone who is currently approaching their final semester in graduate school through University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in pursuit of a master of library and information science with an information technology concentration, knowing what you need to do and when it’s due is part of the struggle. Actually getting it done becomes much easier when you can plan out what you’re going to work on first.”
5. What is the one book you couldn’t live without? Why?
“When I graduated from UD, I relaxed and took some time to really just sit back and figure out what I wanted to do. I was fortunate that I did, or else I would not be where I am today. During this time, someone very dear to me brought me a few gifts, one of them being The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This book changed my perspective and really hit some of the unspoken beliefs I had with all the right words. As someone who travels frequently and just wants to have the best time with what’s going on, I highly recommend this book for the adventurers, philosophers, and everyone in between.”
