{"id":77657,"date":"2026-04-14T10:05:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=77657"},"modified":"2026-04-15T09:26:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:26:12","slug":"humans-of-nau-with-aaron-kimbrell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/humans-of-nau-with-aaron-kimbrell\/","title":{"rendered":"Humans of NAU: Aaron Kimbrell"},"content":{"rendered":"

In celebration of\u00a0National Librarians Day on\u00a0April 16, The NAU Review talked to\u00a0<\/span>Aaron Kimbrell<\/span><\/b>, the assistant librarian for experiential learning at Cline Library.\u00a0Find\u00a0out why\u00a0his\u00a0\u201caverage day\u201d\u00a0is never average and what kind of game show he wants to host.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What brought you to NAU?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Good fortune brought me to NAU\u2014seriously! I talked my way into starting up a creative,\u00a0Makerspace-like service at my\u00a0previous\u00a0library in California. I became so fascinated by the\u00a0various ways\u00a0that people learned in that space\u2014on their own, with each other, in workshops\u2014that I ended up on a doctoral journey at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in\u00a0learning\u00a0design. All the time I was looking for a place where I could work in this area full time.\u00a0I\u2019ve always loved the northern Arizona area and saw the position\u00a0open up\u00a0at Cline at just the right time in my personal life.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0been a joy to land here.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AaronTell me about a day in the life of your job.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The day is never the same twice in any library role, but there are a few different dimensions that always seem to show up. First, library work is service-oriented;\u00a0the library team always\u00a0seeks out\u00a0ways to open doors for students and staff.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0as simple as getting a study room booked or as tricky as figuring out a complex design or technical challenge with a piece of equipment (looking at you, laser cutter). Another dimension is the day-to-day tasks: making sure the spaces we offer are working properly and we are ready to be of service. Last is that big picture. I try to spend some of every day\u00a0coming up with\u00a0ways to knit together what we do in the\u00a0MakerLab\u00a0to our students\u2019 interests, the Flagstaff community and the values of academic life and inquiry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What got you interested in library science?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I give credit to two things. One is that, like many others,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0always been interested in learning outside of the classroom.\u00a0Teaching myself\u00a0film photography or guitar (very poorly on that one) or lessons about local wildlife. Libraries are a place for that. Secondly, I give a lot of credit to a college friend who has worked in libraries for far longer than I have.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0now in admin at Los Angeles County Libraries, but he really encouraged me to try librarianship out. He saw the fit that I had not\u00a0yet. I applied for an MLIS program and really\u00a0took to\u00a0it. The rest is history.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AaronAre there any secrets you want people to know about\u00a0Cline\u00a0Library?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve\u00a0only been\u00a0at\u00a0Cline for eight months. Word from Cline Library admin is that I get to learn the secrets starting at one year\u2014ask me again in August! I can reveal that all librarians know that every library is haunted\u2014\u00a0especially the elevators.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell me about a significant childhood memory and how it has\u202fimpacted\u202fyour life today.<\/span><\/b>\u202f\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I took a lot of community center art classes as a kid growing up in Virginia. For several years I did\u00a0cartooning\u00a0during the\u00a0summers\u00a0and it was just outrageously fun and silly and enlightening. We learned all kinds of techniques using photocopiers and tiles and mixed media and just wrote the weirdest stuff with our ink-stained mitts. I really seek out that\u00a0kind of convivial,\u00a0alive\u00a0and expansive sense of learning together in the spaces\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0working in.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What did you want to be when you grew up?<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A game show host for\u00a0animals. Cats, mostly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is your favorite way to spend a day off?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AaronThis is not a fair question for someone working on a dissertation because you develop a bit of a split identity.\u00a0One way that\u00a0definitely feels\u00a0good is to knock out some reading and writing for the dissertation.\u00a0A truer answer (outside of any academic work) is being outdoors with my partner, Ari, and hiking or biking in all the new-to-us locations in this area.\u00a0It is\u00a0absolutely gorgeous\u00a0here,\u00a0and we both love being out in nature when we get a chance.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0not\u00a0a better\u00a0reset on the planet.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are three items on your bucket list?<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n