Photo by Christina VanHorn,
UNH Human Resources

Humor is a quality that Deanna D. Wood, Associate Professor and Reference Librarian at UNH, has in abundance! Whether it is keeping the atmosphere light working in Dimond Library, or trying to keep a class full of students interested in learning the methods of research, Deanna has been a valuable asset to UNH for nearly 2 decades.

Deanna started her career at UNH over eighteen years ago. She first became interested in working at UNH when her husband applied for a job in the Whittemore School of Business and Economics. “I was a trailing spouse. He applied for a job here, and there was a job open for a reference librarian. We both got the jobs, packed up the kids and animals, and came east.” At the time, Deanna had been working in the Ohio State University law library and living in Columbus, Ohio. “I knew where New Hampshire was, but when my husband had the interview, I had to look at a map to find Durham. I had never heard of it!”

Deanna has worked in a variety of different libraries around the country, from large government offices to several university libraries. She has worked at Harvard and Stanford University, as well as Ohio State. She also worked in a law firm in California. Deanna also served as the librarian for the Attorney General of Minnesota.

Deanna now serves as an Associate Professor and a Reference Librarian. “I help researchers find information and develop research strategies when working with electronic and print resources. I also help teach classes methods of researching. Teaching faculty will ask us here at Reference to come into their class and discuss different research methods. Talking to students about the papers they're writing is extremely satisfying. You can actually see the light bulbs go on over their heads when the research clicks. I also love teaching the research classes. Sometimes, you look out on a sea of bored and sleepy students, but sometimes you know they are engaged. It's great when that happens. Imagination, curiosity, a large vocabulary, patience and a sense of humor are very important skills to have with this job.” Deanna has taught classes in subjects across the University. She also teaches legal research in several departments.

Deanna very much enjoys working at UNH. “I've worked at several other university libraries and I've never found a better group of colleagues and students to work with. With very few exceptions, people here are just basically nice, thoughtful, and interesting. There have been many things at UNH that have been a positive impact on me, but if I were to pick one, it's the work I do for the AAUP [American Association of University Professors] chapter here on campus and my work for the National AAUP Collective Bargaining Congress in Washington. I've learned a lot about academic labor unions with many of the smartest people in academia. And these are people who care a lot about the future of higher education.”

Deanna has many interests outside the world of academia, but “it seems like much of what I do away from work seems to be related to what I'm doing when I'm working.” In addition to that, upon moving to New Hampshire, she has picked up a new hobby: she has learned how to cross country ski. “I try to do as much cross-country skiing with my husky, Leo, as I can in the winter.” While skiing is her passion in the winter, Deanna loves to travel in the summer. “Of all the places I've been, I like Berlin the best, it was a fabulous city. If I had my way, I would live in Berlin in the summer and Spain in the winter.” While Deanna loves travelling and skiing, she says that “there can never be enough skiing or traveling.”