For Stu, a quick question...

Name: Stu Baker

Title: Webmaster and acting head of Northwestern University’s Library Management Systems

What I do: As Webmaster, I help to coordinate the library’s Web communications and access to services, electronic resources and digital library collections. As the acting head of Library Management Systems, my main job is making sure our online catalog, called “NUcat,” is functioning and working with our other systems.

Typical day: I spend most of my day troubleshooting problems and helping our staff and patrons do their work more efficiently and effectively. At least once a day, someone calls and says, “I have a quick question.” I have learned there is never a quick answer to “quick” question.

Great day: A great day for me is when I don’t have a lot of interruptions so that I can research and explore new technology. A day with no meetings is always great.

In preparation for this job: I learned how to work with people and translate technology to make it understandable to those who don’t have a technical background. I spent a lot of time in college doing production work on films, theater productions, concerts and events.

Importance of this place: I think the library is a crucial component to the University’s mission. All students at some point in their college career visit the library. The work our staff does with students, faculty and other staff members really makes a difference. With the proliferation of the information on the Internet and elsewhere, the library’s role has expanded in order to help people make sense of all that information.

Previously at Northwestern: I started at Northwestern in 1980 in the Mitchell Multimedia Center in the library. My role has evolved as media and computer technologies converged. Because of the nature of my work I have had the opportunity to work with people in almost every corner of the University. I’ve had a very diverse career – all in one place.

Favorite things about Northwestern: The people I work with including the staff, students and faculty. I like to learn from others, and I like to teach them too. Being able to make a difference in the lives of students gives me a lot of satisfaction.

If not here: I’d be sitting on a bench in the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago watching the seals and sea lions while sipping on a beer.

Education: University of Wisconsin at Madison, bachelor’s degree in communication arts, with a minor in theater and music.

Family: I have a wife, Janet, and three cats. I have two brothers, two nephews and a niece and the people that made it all possible, my parents.

Away from the office: I love cooking and entertaining. I enjoy exercising. I have a 35-gallon aquarium at work and two aquariums at home. I spend a lot of time with my creatures. Janet and I travel a lot. I have been to every state in the U.S., except Alaska. Internationally, I’ve visited France, Great Britain and Ireland in the past year. This fall, I plan to travel to Mexico. Anything you want to know about me is on my Web site at www.stubaker.com.

— Marilyn Soglin