Olivia Alsup

Authored by Olivia Alsup

Community, Assessment, and the Work of Showing Up

Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Who is your community? I moved to Iowa City from Kentucky almost one year ago to begin working toward the joint English PhD and Master’s in Library Science at the University of Iowa. As an undergraduate, your community sometimes forms naturally, especially at a smaller university like the one I attended, through the people in your dorms and classes, your coworkers, and those you meet in clubs and student organizations. As a graduate student, I worried that moving several states away from the small area of Kentucky where I had spent my life would be lonely, but after a year in Iowa City, I have found the opposite to be true. This summer, I am working as the Community Feedback Framework Intern for the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation. In this position, I'm working on examining current best practices for how libraries can engage intentionally and effectively with the communities they serve.
Olivia Alsup