Hum V capstones, civil rights projects, and all other research projects on campus lead to one person: Sarah Yarborough. Since August 2023, Yarborough has served as the research and instruction librarian on campus, helping students of all forms and experience levels properly use the resources available to them.
When Yarborough began working at boarding schools, she taught English and drama before moving to the administration, working in residential life as an Associate Dean of Students. Eventually, Yarborough returned to teaching English.
As an English teacher, Yarborough found herself doing a lot of research work with her students and spending “way too much time in the library to justify.” So, she decided to return to school.
Yarborough moved from Colorado to North Carolina to attend UNC Chapel Hill for graduate school, where she joined the School Library Media program and took classes in library instruction and cataloging.
At SPS, Yarborough has found joy where many students see frustration: research projects. “It’s where I actually get to interact with you guys,” she says. “Hopefully you are pursuing something of interest to you, and I get to learn about your interests.”
When she is not working, Yarborough likes to rock climb and hike. She also plans to ski again when she finds a resort that is not on the Ikon or Epic pass. Additionally, she is a member of an on-campus board game club with the Duncans and Dr. Seth Cohen and his partner.
The librarians are constantly working to create a welcoming environment for students. “For class help or boredom reduction,” she says, “we can pretty much help with anything, and if we don’t have it, we can always bring it in.”
When asked to provide advice to SPS students, Yarborough immediately responded: “Cite your sources. In-text citations are no joke!” Yarborough followed with some great advice regarding citations: “Just ask your reference librarians or teachers if you need help!”