New Hires in Special Collections

Ross Cooper is the new Public Services Specialist in Special Collections.

Ross was born and grew up in Boone, North Carolina in a family affiliated with Appalachian State University and with local outdoor drama Horn in the West.

After attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies, he spent the better part of a decade in the Raleigh-Chapel Hill area honing his skills as a barista and “Lifelong Nontraditional Learner.”

Upon returning to Boone, he began the Master of Library Science program at Appalachian State University, completing the degree in 2009.

Ross spent seventeen years working at Boone’s Watauga County Public Library in the Reference & Adult Services department, as a part-time assistant, full-time Librarian, and, most recently, as manager.

He was most honored and privileged to be considered for and offered the post of Public Services Assistant in Appalachian State’s Special Collections, having a long interest in the Appalachian region, its culture, and its people.

Ross lives in Stoney Fork, Deep Gap, North Carolina (birthplace of Doc Watson), with his spouse, an educator in the Watauga County School system, and their son.

His interests and hobbies include hiking, history, (particularly British and Irish), Byzantine and Patristic studies, music of many sorts (Russian chant, reggae, bluegrass, New Wave, and, if there is such a thing, Old Wave), and travel.

You can reach Ross Cooper by email cooperlr@appstate.edu or office telephone 828–262–2552.

Anna Smith is the new Archives Processing Assistant in Special Collections.

Anna Smith is from Charleston, South Carolina. She has a B.A. in Art History from the College of Charleston and a MLIS from the University of South Carolina. As an Archives Processing Assistant, she works mainly with University Archives in Special Collections.

Before coming to Special Collections, she worked at Charleston Library Society as the Special Collections Librarian, which involved processing archival material, cataloging books and pamphlets, and managing the digital library.

You can reach Anna Smith by email smithal25@appstate.edu.

Welcome to Special Collections, Ross and Anna!