A warm CrimSL welcome to Julia Warren, who joins us as Cataloguing, Research and Resource Services Library Assistant at the CrimSL Library on May 1, 2025.
Julia is originally from Vancouver, but has lived in Toronto since 2011 when she moved here after being accepted as an undergraduate student by U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science.
She earned a BA in History, Fine Art History, and English and then completed an MA at U of T’s Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CERES).
At that point, Julia says she was considering what kind of career she wanted to pursue. She briefly considered applying to a PhD program in the U.S. and joining the ranks of academia.
“Then Trump was elected. I decided I wanted to stay in Toronto,” she says.
An administrator at CERES suggested to Julia that she go to U of T’s Faculty of Information and become a librarian.
“Not a super easy career path,” Julia jokes.
After some reflection, Julia saw the wisdom in that suggestion. She could see the role would be a good fit for her and decided to pursue a Master of Information (MI) degree.
As an MI student, Julia opted for a concentration in library and information sciences, along with a collaborative specialization — hosted by Massey College — in book history and print culture.
She was smitten from her first peek inside the Robertson Davies Library at Massey College, during a tour led by College Printer Nelson Adams.
“I toured the bibliography room, and I saw the collection of antique printing presses, and metal and wood type. I just loved it,” she says.
“When I first volunteered, I was made to wait one month before I could start. I think it was like a test to see if my enthusiasm would go away,” she says.
After completing her MI, she was promptly hired by the Robertson Davies Library, first as Assistant Librarian and later as Acting College Librarian.
She then joined the Toronto Public Library for about three years, during which time she gained invaluable experience. But she kept checking for positions at other U of T libraries.
“I always wanted to come back to a U of T library,” she says. “I enjoy all of it: cataloguing, reference services, research, collections work, rare books, letter press printed materials. My new position has everything I’ve been looking for.”
Julia says she is excited to work with Head Librarian Danielle Van Wagner to grow the CrimSL library community and invites students and faculty to make use of the library’s rich resources.
“Come and learn what we have. And maybe that’s going to inspire a research project for you,” she says.
Please join us in welcoming Julia!