When the State of Texas passed Senate Bill 17 in the spring of 2023, banning offices of diversity, equity and inclusion on public college campuses, it was a career-defining moment for WNMU Miller Library Director Samantha Johnson. Johnson, who was working at a community college library in Baytown, TX, at the time, was concerned about the legislation broadly, but on a professional level she was concerned that it was going to make it difficult to do her job. “I wasn’t going to be able to do any equity programming,” she said, “We had a very active equity office, and I had done a lot of [collaborative] work with them.” When the legislation passed, Johnson knew she was making the right move by leaving behind her longtime home state of Texas.
Even before this most recent round of legislation in Texas, Johnson was hoping to relocate. “My husband and I have wanted to move out of Houston for a long time because it is very polluted, the traffic is awful, and the weather is horrible,” she explained. The COVID-19 pandemic made her reevaluate what she thought was important. She wanted an inclusive community with plenty of cultural opportunities. Based on their values and priorities, she and her husband made a list of places they were interested in living. New Mexico was on that list, so when the Miller Library directorship became open, it was a welcome opportunity.
Johnson indicated that her on-campus interview for the position solidified in her mind that this was the right position for her. She described her interview committee as “so warm and open.”
“I really enjoy this campus,” said Johnson, “because everyone is super friendly and excited about their reading life.” She has been especially grateful for the mentorship of Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Kate Oubre. Said Johnson, “She has helped me so much as I have transitioned into the new role.”
Johnson said that her approach to the new position is very much informed by the fact that her nineteen years as a librarian has been divided between academic and public libraries. She said that, traditionally, public librarianship has been “a much more a service-oriented kind of librarianship. You look for the populations that are underserved and try to figure out how to get them resources and make them feel comfortable in the library.”
This kind of outreach has become part of her work in academe as well, and she finds it especially important to reach out to first-generation college students. “If you are a first-generation student, [it is hard] to do college.” Johnson noted that figuring out basic steps, like who to give your vaccine information to, how to get started with financial aid, and sometimes even finding a classroom can be a struggle. “The library,” she added, “can feel overwhelming.”
She is especially excited that Miller Library will be hiring for two new librarian positions, which should better allow the library to engage with students. One position is for an instruction and outreach librarian and the other is for an electronic resources librarian. “I am hoping we can ramp up our library instruction,” Johnson said, “I want to pivot a little bit so we are serving our online students better.”
Johnson is excited to reach out to staff and faculty as well, and she invites anyone in the campus community to come talk to her about their reading interests. “I am a huge reader, and I read everything except for horror.” Sometimes in higher education, she said, people are hesitant to admit they read genre fiction. Johnson, though, welcomes anyone to come talk to her about whatever they are reading, whether it is academic or less highbrow.