“They never say, ‘No, we can’t do that.’” In simplest terms, that’s how Kirsten Pullen, a professor in the University of Illinois Department of Theatre, describes the assistance the University Library gave her when she needed help most.
A few years after Pullen joined the U. of I. in 2017, she was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis that may inflame the tissues of the eyes. By the spring of 2021, she was legally blind in one eye and retained about 40% vision in the other. The news was devastating to her both personally and professionally.
“My job means that I read all the time,” Pullen said, “for my research, for my teaching, for all of the parts of it. And without the Library’s assistance, I wouldn’t really be able to do my job.
“When I was in a . . . real crisis mode, . . . they made it so that I could read.”
What the Library did was spring into action. At the Music and Performing Arts Library (MPAL), Pullen found “incredible” partners in Kirstin Dougan Johnson, head of the unit, and librarian Kate Lambaria ’12 FAA, MS ’15 LIS. They digitized materials so Pullen could actually read the works she assigned to her classes and maintained subscriptions to resources that assist Pullen’s work.
“They never say, ‘No, we can’t do that.’ They say, ‘Let’s figure out how to do that,’” Pullen said of the librarians who have strategized with her. “They’re innovative.”
Not to mention quick to respond. “I’ve asked for those things,” Pullen said, and received “this sort of instant and fantastic access. If I ask for it, I get it.”
Johnson and Lambaria also put Pullen in touch with John Laskowski, MS ’98 LIS, coordinator of user experience and web strategy. He helped Pullen learn how to turn PDFs into e-publications, which Pullen can manipulate on an iPad for her needs. He also helped her secure membership in the Internet Archive, which grants broader access for people with low vision or blindness.
As Pullen began communicating with others in the broader low-vision community, she realized her experience on the Illinois campus was unique. “They can’t believe what the Library has done for me,” she said. “Nobody does what our Library does.”
And Pullen is grateful in more ways than one. When she considered service options as part of her professorial duties, she turned to the University Senate and selected the Committee on the Library, which advocates for the unit’s needs. “I should give back,” Pullen thought as she made her committee choice. “That’s the one I want to be on.”
Since the initial health crisis, Pullen’s vision has improved dramatically; however, her eyes have sustained permanent damage, and her sight could worsen if inflammation recurs. She still requires the use of electronic reading materials.
“I flat out cannot read a book until it’s been made into an e-publication that I can then read,” Pullen said. “It’s really just as simple as that . . . [the librarians] have made it so that I can continue to do work” and not take family medical leave.
“I love the Library so much.”