Aaron Dobbs has been appointed library associate director for Access Services. He had served as interim at this position since August 2021.
Aaron joined the UWM Libraries as reserve desk supervisor in 2000 and was head of Circulation from 2011 until this year.
In his new position, Aaron provides leadership and direction for all functional areas in Access Services, including circulation and resource sharing, interlibrary loan, media and reserve services, and shelving maintenance for the Golda Meir Library and our off-site storage.
In addition to his work at UWM, Aaron represents the Libraries on several high-level, external committees, including UW Libraries Shared Systems and the Ex Libris User Experience Customer Group.
He earned his BA in English and his MLIS from UWM.
About his new role, Aaron says, “I am excited to see how Access Services can positively impact the student population in real and meaningful ways, contributing to a more positive student experience on campus.”
Outside of work, Aaron is keen on games such as Wingspan, Catan, and cribbage (having recently placed 4th with his daughter in a 12-team tournament). He also enjoys unique travel experiences, big and small, with his family, from an adventure in the Everglades to a trip to Kewpies in Racine for the family burger rankings.
Stephanie Surach is the new social sciences librarian in User Services.
Stephanie moved from Jersey City, New Jersey to Milwaukee in 2018 to earn her MLIS at UWM, transitioning from a career in corporate marketing, events, video production, and public relations project management. She interned at the UWM Libraries in the Collections & Resource Management and User Services divisions, and then rejoined User Services in June 2021 in a fixed term librarian position.
In addition to her MLIS, Stephanie holds a License 3 from L’Insitut Européen de Cinéma et d’Audiovisuel, Université de Lorraine, and a BA in comparative literature and anthropology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
In her new position at the Golda Meir Library, she says she looks “forward to building relationships with faculty and students, and supporting the research community in current emerging scholarly practices.”
When not at the library, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her dog and cats, meditating, practicing yoga, and candle making.
Zoï Doehrer has been hired as a library services assistant-advanced in the American Geographical Society Library.
She is no stranger to academic libraries, having worked for over five years at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s John M. Flaxman Library, where, most recently, she held the position of access services manager.
Zoï received her BFA in studio art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a focus on printmedia/visual communications and arts administration.
She says that “working with a collection as unique and varied as ours in the AGSL means that there will always be something new to discover and share with the UWM community. I love the look of excitement and wonder that comes over the faces of patrons who discover our awesome collection for the first time.”
Outside of the library, you can find Zoï skating at the Pettit National Ice Center, where she trains several days a week. She is part of a growing community of adult skaters (folks who took up this child-dominated sport as adults). She recently won two medals at the Adult Midwestern Sectionals. Besides skating, Zoï loves baking, reading and writing poetry, and spending time in nature with her partner.