I am Jacalyn Spoon. I grew up in the Town of Tonawanda, north of Buffalo, New York. In June of 1981 I went to SUNY Morrisville, where I was given a work-study job in the library. After receiving an A.A.S. in Musical Instrument Technology (probably my most unique feature), I moved to North Carolina where I repaired instruments. Later, I lived in Massachusetts where I also took on a position as a silkscreen sign printer while repairing instruments from my home. Instrument repair has since become a hobby.

In 1985 I moved back to New York, where I plan to stay. In 1986 I began working at the Ithaca College Library as a Circulation Assistant. I stayed in Access Services in various capacities until 2000 when I took a position as Cataloging Specialist, where I worked until January 2004. If you would like to know more about my career please see my resume at (http://www.geocities.com/jacie_spoon/index.htm).

Ithaca College has been very good to me over the years. I began studies toward my bachelors’ degree in 1987 and in 2001 I graduated from Ithaca College with a bachelors degree in Anthropology and a minor in Art History, tuition free. I am still involved in an Archaeology project that I began as an independent study with Dr. Jack Rossen. I recently completed cataloging Native American Ceramic shards found at a site near Wells College and I prepared a graph using SPSS, for the purpose of publication. Yes, I catalog for fun!

In 1996 I purchased a home in Groton, New York. As a single Mom (who had grown up in apartments) I felt it was very important for me to provide my son Adam with the security that homeownership brings.

In 2001 I began sharing my home with my best friend and life partner Charles Lance.

Gardening has been a hobby of mine since childhood. Owning a home has allowed me to plant perennials, shrubs, and trees, and watch them mature. 

During the summer of 2002 I took a leave of absence from work to attend 3 summer classes on campus at the State University of New York, University at Buffalo. I completed my Masters Degree in Library Science September 2003.

Obtaining an MLS has been a goal of mine since I began my bachelors’ degree. Many of the projects and papers completed toward my bachelors’ degree were library related.  Regardless, my career goals remain rather vague. My main objective has been job security. Because I wish to remain in my current neighborhood, I believe that I will need to be somewhat flexible when looking for a professional position. Working at the Adelson Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has allowed me to spread my wings (pun intended). I've completed several projects including opening the library to the public and the creation of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Gallery of Bird and Wildlife Art (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/about/art.html)