iSchool Student Snapshots: Sandy Macke
By Heidi Andress
March 12, 2002

Silverfish: We're sitting here with Sandy Macke, the recently elected ALISS Secretary. Hi Sandy! Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself- about before you came up here. I know you're from Oregon and that's about all I know.

Sandy: I'm originally, from a long time ago, from Southern California but moved up to Oregon when I was eight. I did my undergrad at University of Oregon at the International School, the now defunct International School. Got my degree in Anthropology and French. Spent a year in France as part of that. I went to school for nine months and then worked for three months at Disneyland Paris.

Silverfish: What did you do there!?

Sandy: I was a cast member in Food & Services in the Hotel Cheyenne for breakfast. For breakfast I was in a denim skirt and an obnoxious red… it was a denim cowboy thing. And I would do lunch in Frontier Land and it was like Little House on the Prairie. So I would come in at six in the morning, change into the costume there and then at like nine change back into street clothes after transversing the entrance to the park to get back to the backstage area for costuming and then change again into Little House on the Prairie outfits.

Silverfish: And all the while speaking French?

Sandy: French, English. Only about 50% of the visitors speak French.

Silverfish: OK, that makes senses. I can't really imagine the French going to Euro Disney.

Sandy: They do, but the Germans and the British really love it.

Silverfish: Why did you apply to the iSchool? Did you have some burning desire to be a librarian?

Sandy: Part of it. When I graduated from undergrad I was so sick of school. I had done four and a half years and was just personally and academically burnt out. And so I moved back to Portland and I got a job and bought a car. And you know, and was actually making money regularly and I did that for about three years. And it was customer service for a French and English speaking phone call center that had French and English speaking customers. And then eventually worked my way up to Corporate Customer Service so the VP of Wal-Mart would call and complain instead of Joe Blow at Store #3 calling and complaining. So it was basically more customer service but we got to do technical training and I really liked that. We shifted to Oracle, which is the database we ran.

Silverfish: So is that your focus here at the iSchool- the library or the information side?

Sandy: The library. I'm more comfortable there. I was counting the days when I left my work. I worked with a great group of people but I was so sick of doing customer service, direct customer service like that. So I thought I'd be a librarian. At least I'd get semi-intelligent questions maybe. I haven't decided on what kind of library. I'm thinking maybe community college.

Silverfish: So academic librarianship?

Sandy: Yeah, maybe not so academic. Or in a special library. I was thinking more generalized. I like doing a little bit of everything instead of 'This is my space. Don't touch that other person's little domain. That's their business.'

Silverfish: And so you just applied here at the UW?

Sandy: It was later than the UCLA deadline and I couldn't get it together for the UCLA deadline which is in November.

Silverfish: I had to remind Amanda, too. You know that's going to be printed, right?

Sandy: Well, I actually liked both schools. I was going to apply to both. And the UW is a good school.

Silverfish: Have you read any good books lately? Has your schedule allowed you to read anything outside of school-related material?

Sandy: I have on my desk an autobiography by Stephen Fry. It's called Moab is My Washpot and I've been trying to read that for about three weeks now.

Silverfish: Is that your Spring Break goal?

Sandy: Yeah, I have three things to read over Spring Break- that, and the History of Middle-Earth, Volume 12 by Tolkien, and David Levy's book, Scrolling Forward. I've been wanting to read that. It's been sitting on my bookshelf ever since I was at Powell's last time I was in Portland and I haven't been really wanting to read lately.

Silverfish: What are you taking next quarter? Are you taking Levy's class?

Sandy: Yes, I'm taking 550 with Levy, cataloging with Carlyle, and 580 with Gershenfeld, which I'm really looking forward to.

Silverfish: OK, what do you miss most about leaving Oregon?

Sandy: Not paying sales tax. And I miss my family and friends in Portland. I like Portland. I really like Seattle, but there are things about Portland, like it's a lot smaller. But I really like Seattle and one of these days I want to go to Vancouver. That's also on my list of things to do. I've been to Victoria five times, but not Vancouver. But I never seem to get a weekend where I can go up there. I'll be in Washington DC for Spring Break. I'm leaving Saturday and I'm going to my mom's house. I'm really looking forward to that.

Silverfish: Do you have any pet projects you're working on for ALISS?

Sandy: We haven't really started yet. We're probably going to meet the first week of April to get everything together. I'm excited about the ALISS Book Sale that I have to start working on. But we'll talk about that. I have some ideas and maybe we can start working on it a little earlier.

Silverfish: My last question is- this is a picture of my puppy. Don't you think he should be the iSchool mascot? And he's the right breed for the school. Isn't he the most gorgeous puppy in the world?

Sandy: He is the most gorgeous puppy in the world. What would he have to do as mascot? Or would he just be pretty?

Silverfish: He'd have to like books. Well, he likes eating books. I think you should use your power and influence to get him as the school mascot. Thanks Sandy!

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