Hillary Garrett isn’t your typical private eye. She doesn’t case out seedy joints looking for cheating spouses, but she does see herself as a detective, of sorts — a pseudo "Spenser for Hire" for libraries. “Being a reference librarian really is like being a detective at times,” she says. “So many people come to you with sketchy information. ‘I’m not sure of the author’s last name or when the book was published, but I think the title has something to do with .…’” You get the picture. Garrett says conducting the reference interview is the fun part — asking the questions that will solicit the kernels of information she needs to find exactly what the patron desires. Helping people is what it’s all about, she explains.

For Garrett, pursuing a career that involved working with people was a lifelong dream; she just didn’t realize she’d do that in a library setting. When she looks back on her childhood in Ephrata, WA, however, she recalls the positive influence of her neighbor, a high school librarian. “She was your stereotypical librarian,” says Garrett. “Never without a book in hand. I really admired her.”

Following in her neighbor’s footsteps is a pleasure for Garrett, who plans to pursue a position as an academic reference librarian upon completing her studies as a full-time student at the school’s Mount Holyoke College campus in Western Massachusetts. “The Mount Holyoke campus draws students from all over New England, in all stages of their lives,” says Garrett. “Some are working librarians, some are mothers, some are career changers. The diversity of my classmates expands my own learning and experience. I’ve benefited from the intimacy of our program and the opportunity to really define myself to my professors.”

She’s also benefited from the leadership opportunities she’s encountered on the Mt. Holyoke campus. As president of the campus’s Library and Information Science Student Association, Garrett has coordinated programming and networking events for students that have enabled her to establish professional contacts throughout the area. “It’s great to be affiliated with an institution that develops librarians to be more than just librarians, but to be leaders in their field.”