Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.
Full name: Robin Johns Grant.
Residence: Macon.
Family: Husband, Dave; sister, Frankie; niece, Kristi; parents, Arthur and Ewell Johns; and Himalayan cats Wendy and Cera. “Cera is 20 years old this October.”
Job Title: Reference Librarian.
Degrees: Bachelor of arts, Oglethorpe University; master of library and information science, University of Southern Mississippi.
Year she joined the Macon State staff: 2005.
What she does on the job: “I help students and other library patrons find just the right information they need to answer their questions or complete their research projects. I also help students - as well as faculty and staff - learn how to use all the great resources the library has to offer. I work with people one on one, or professors bring their classes over when they’re starting a research assignment. Over the last couple of years, I’ve also been working on getting the Macon State College archives organized.”
One thing people don’t know about Macon State is … “How fast it’s growing and maturing. I’m originally from Macon but had been away for several years. When I started working at Macon State in 2005, I was amazed at how much the college had changed - the bachelors’ degrees and the Warner Robins Campus, in particular. And since 2005 we’ve added even more degrees and areas of study. Whenever I tell people how many students we have now, they seem surprised.”
One thing people don’t know about her is … “I’ve written several novels and I have a literary agent who’s trying to find a publisher for one of them.”
In her spare time she likes to … “Read and write - that’s probably not a surprise. I also like to knit and make quilts and beaded jewelry, although I’ve never been able to spend enough time on those things to get particularly good at them. (That’s my excuse, anyway.) I also enjoy camping, if it’s in a campground with a bath house—not just a tent in the middle of the woods. Reading or knitting while camping at a beautiful lake or the ocean - that’s the best!”
The one person she’d most like to meet is … “Probably C.S. Lewis. I only started reading his work recently, but it seems that I find some insightful quote or essay from him on almost any topic that interests me, from literature and fantasy writing to theology. I’d love to be able to ask him specific questions, particularly about my own writing and about books that have come out since his time.”
What she likes best about working at Macon State is … “I love the library where I work because it seems to offer the best of all worlds. It’s small and personal, so I can spend time with students on their individual projects, but it’s also state of the art because of the recent renovation. I think we have amazing resources in terms of online journals and e-books, and labs where we can teach students how to access them and learn to conduct their research.”