Meet the Iterative Librarian

The Iterative Librarian.

Nicole Olila

librarian, writer & consultant with local commitments & global attentiveness, and a long history of collaborative work with book people & places

ABOUT

Nicole obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of Minnesota (2001), a paralegal certificate from the Minnesota Paralegal Institute (2009), and holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Saint Catherine University (2023).

She is dedicated to the work of promoting intellectual freedom and facilitating the free and open access to information around the world, practicing critical librarianship and archivy, and thinking about the library as a Third Space.

white background with blue cross finnish flag waving with dark stormy clouds in background

The Finnish people’s struggle for independence required interminable courage and fortitude—what the Finnish folk call Sisu.

Regarding social justice work, she looks to her Finnish heritage and her great grandparents’ experience of diaspora for encouragement.

While she is a self-described absurdist, she believes art is oxygen, hope is a practice, and love is the the connective tissue of the Universe.

You might find her hanging out on the Wisconsin side of Lake Pepin.

Lake Pepin
Highway 35, Wisconsin

Or with her feet in the waters of Kitchi-Gami.

Nicole is always interested in new connections and collaborations. If you are interested in library advocacy and policy development, chocolate stouts, or need help with a project:

LET’S CHAT

HONORS

Beta Phi Mu International Honor Society
-Member

current

Sinister Wisdom
Sinister Wisdom’s Feminist Bookstore News Project: Understanding the Scope and Impact of the Women in Print Movement through Bibliography
-Digital Project

Quatrefoil Library
Librarian Advisory Group
-Founder, Member

East Side Freedom Library
-Collection Advisory Group
-Member

Bluffsong House Collection
–ContentDM Repository