Tiffany Dogan is a senior library technician at B.E.S.T. Library who began her current role in 2015 after previously working at the Southwest Ohio Regional Depository. A Miami graduate, Tiffany has worked in the Miami Libraries since beginning as a student worker in 2005.
Where are you originally from? What’s your educational background?
I’m a Cincinnatian born and raised—at Skyline is where I’ve spent most of my days. I am a Class of 2008 Miami alum. I originally started as a zoology/pre-med major, but switched to black world studies and urban and regional planning. I also earned a certificate in geographic information sciences.
When did you start at Miami Libraries?
My time at Miami Libraries started at Wertz Art and Architecture Library in 2005 as a student worker. In 2006, I began working at King Library as well. In 2010, I was hired as a full-time staff member at the Southwest Ohio Regional Book Depository (SWORD). In 2015, I accepted my current position at B.E.S.T. Library.
What drew you to work in a library environment? Why Miami Libraries?
When I was a student worker, I just needed a job. Over the years, I have found that it’s great work that allows you to interact on an intellectual level with people from many different backgrounds and concentrations. You’re also able to learn a lot on your own when you help students research topics. I especially like that the Miami Libraries give people a chance to be themselves.
What’s the best part of your job?
First is the people. Our students and staff at B.E.S.T. Library are simply that—the best! I enjoy that each day is different and there are constantly opportunities to learn new things and develop yourself personally and professionally.
What do you wish Miami students knew about the Library?
I wish the average Miami student knew that the Library is more than just a place to study or get info on how to start a research paper. Through the programming it offers, the Library is a great resource for students to discover new hobbies and learn more about where they fit in Miami history. Special Collections does a great job telling Miami’s story. We also offer programs like MakerHerSpace and Zines workshops that offer opportunities to de-stress and socialize with others.
What’s your favorite book?
Honestly, I have a number of favorite books. The Harry Potter series, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” “The Hot Zone” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” are a few favorites of mine.
Any hobbies?
I knit… well, I knit with a knitting loom (yes, I know it’s cheating). I took up the hobby about five years ago when one of my best friends was pregnant with her son. I made a baby blanket using the knitting loom. It took a while because I made it kinda big so he can grow into it.
What’s something people don’t know about you that might surprise them?
I am very active with a local grad chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. I am the advisor to the undergraduate chapter at Xavier University. It sounds weird to the average person, but the work of all organizations that are governed by the National Pan-Hellenic Council continues after graduating. I have chaired and co-chaired a number of programs that my chapter has hosted over the past two years that engage the community. One of my favorite initiatives is Operation Big Book Bag. Our chapter partners with other organizations to provide book bags full of school supplies to an entire school in Cincinnati that has a 100 percent poverty population.