Nancy Sheng

Write well, speak well, have interesting thoughts, remember compassion, and be passionate about what you do -- these are the guidelines I try to live my life by.

I am a current Master of Information student, specializing in Library and Information Science, at the University of Toronto. I will be graduating with my M.I. in April 2012, and I plan to dedicate my career to working with libraries, information resources and literacy, and the betterment of the library as a vital cultural and informational institution. I believe that in a high-tech digital world, libraries are more necessary than ever, acting like chemical bonds that hold elements together in a landscape of electric chaos.

One of my best (and worst!) personality traits is that I am interested in everything, and will often develop sudden and inexplicable passions, such as following the Scripps National Spelling Bee or reading everything I can about gourmet cuisine (despite my general inability to cook).

I am interested in a vast array of libraries, from academic libraries to special collections (I once interned at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, one of the most amazing experiences of my life) to public libraries and children's services. I am also finding myself developing strong passions for health and science libraries. In addition to practical library environments, I also enjoy dabbling in academia, and some of my favourite subjects to ponder include digitization, marginalized societies and their access or lack thereof to libraries, video games in child development, and the future of the book.

I love to read, and I love to write. I love stories, and words, and language. I have several short fiction publication credits to my name, and I have recently been nominated for the 2012 Rhysling Award, which is the most prestigious award given in the field of science fiction and fantasy poetry.

I have taught English in China. I have given speeches to crowds. I have survived having six siblings. I have performed poetry until I thought my heart would break. I have tap-danced down an empty street in the middle of the night.

I believe in creativity, responsibility, social equality, rabid punctuality, and the words of Robert Louis Stevenson:

"The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."