Meet Ellen Bosman!: An RT member profile by Tess Goldwasser

By Tess Goldwasser

Ellen has been involved with the RT since the mid-1990s.  She has served as the treasurer, as the chair of the committee that plans the annual awards banquet, on the public relations committee, and twice on the Stonewall Book Awards committee, once as chair.

She is the Head of Technical Services at New Mexico State University and holds the rank of professor.  She says mostly performs administrative duties, like attending long meetings without the benefit of donuts, sending lots of email, and signing things. She is also the health sciences librarian.

Ellen has a passion for education. She says, “I was the first person in my family to go to college and am proud I paid for it myself. I am the only member of my family to have an advanced degree.  Without education I wouldn’t be where I am today, nor would many others. As a result, I love working in academia, watching students succeed, and contributing in some small way to their success by teaching them about the library and how to conduct efficient research.”

She is currently working on a graduate degree in museum science because she would like to be a special collections librarian. She is also considering a PhD in rhetoric or education. She authored her first book with fellow RT members John Bradford and Rob Ridinger.

Ellen enjoys bird watching, snorkeling, and travel, and has combined these three interests on trips to Australia, Bonaire, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Great Britain. Italy and New Zealand are on her travel bucket list (and she’d happily accept funding or a place to crash in either place!)

She also enjoys flat water kayaking but it’s hard to do in the desert. She like movies, and, of course, loves to read, mostly LGBT fiction, YA novels, and memoirs.

Ellen has five cats named Windy, Wally, Breeze, Tucker and Tinker.  She says, “I know you are thinking crazy cat lady librarian. They are a lot of work but good company. They own the house; I just pay the mortgage.”

If she could be an animal she would choose a beautiful bird or fish: “The freedom of movement would be like traveling and the multitude of things I could see would be amazing.”

If Ellen could have a dinner party with five culturally or historically significant figures, living or dead, she would invite Jesus, Margaret Sanger, C. S. Lewis, Scooby Doo, and Andrew Carnegie.