Author Introduction

Hello and welcome to A View from the Stacks!

My name is Melissa Fretz.  I am a graduate student at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI studying Library and Information Sciences. I just started my first semester this January (2014) and hope to graduate in two years with my MLIS degree. Working in the field of Library and Information Sciences is something that I have pursued for almost a decade and am most excited to get started.

During my undergraduate college years, I went back and forth between actively pursuing my dream of being a librarian.  I started actively pursuing it my freshman year at Cairn University in Langhorne, PA. I worked as a student aid in the library working mainly as a front desk clerk and shelving books.  Being around the stacks of various library resources was a dream for me. I absorbed as much as I could from both the reference librarian and librarian in charge of archives.  A lot of what they taught me has stuck with me to this day. Then, I stepped away for my dream temporarily in August of 2008. At that time, I moved to Michigan to finish my undergraduate degree at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Marketing and Supply Chain Management. I graduated in 2010 and for the last 3 years worked with a 3rd Party Logistics company.

My interest in Library and Information Sciences came back to the forefront of my thoughts shortly after starting my corporate job, but the timing never seemed right.  I reached out to Reference Librarian at Cairn University who was my previous boss and asked ofr some direction.  After some researching and waiting for the right time, I decided Wayne State University's SLIS was the place for me.  I allowed myself to follow my dreams by quitting my corporate job and applying to the program. This is where I am today and could not be happier.

Outside of school and work, I spend my time with my husband and our two cats in Northville, MI.  I enjoy cooking, baking, crafts, games, and rock climbing. I am currently trying to learn French, but my dream vacation would be to take a trip to Italy. (After French, I would like to try and learn Italian.)

It's been great sharing with you and keep your eyes posted for my future posts! Thank you for your time.

Melissa