Library and Information Science Graduate Found a New Direction at CUA

When Nora Daly enrolled in Catholic University’s School of Library and Information Science, she thought she wanted to be “surrounded by dusty stacks of old books all day.”

 CUA, however, led her in a different direction.

“I hadn’t expected that one of my first courses would require me to learn how to build interactive websites from scratch, which was not only exceedingly fun, but immediately unlocked an unforeseen passion for the technical, information science, and data-driven aspects of the field,” says the 2007 graduate.

While studying at CUA, Daly worked with the digital reference team at the Library of Congress, answering inquiries about collections from individuals around the world. It was her first experience working in a library.

Today, Daly is a digital curator for the British Library, the London-based national library of the United Kingdom. She works as part of a team to make the library’s collection — which includes the Magna Carta and a Leonardo da Vinci notebook — available to a wider audience online.

Daly also manages and curates an exhibit titled “Growing Knowledge: The Evolution of Research,” which explores how the research process has changed in the 21st century with the adoption of new technologies.

“Through this experience I have the chance to meet with researchers and library users through personal visits or speaking engagements around the United Kingdom and I find these inspired conversations provide constant affirmation that society depends on us librarians more than ever to help make sense of the data deluge surrounding us,” she explains.

Daly is thankful for the path the University set her on. “I am forever grateful to my professors for opening my eyes to the most exciting bits of modern librarianship and prepping me with the technical skills to engage confidently in the digital realm,” she says.