Sara Beth Coffman (‘23), an alumna of the School of Information Sciences, is fulfilling her dream job as the lead librarian for Information Literacy and Instruction at Chattanooga State Community College.
Even before joining a library system, Coffman had a passion for teaching. She earned her undergraduate degree in English from Emory & Henry College, now known as Emory & Henry University, and completed her master’s in English at the University of Virginia.
“My very first job after completing my master’s program at UVA was teaching at a co-op school for homeschooling or unschooling families in Floyd, Virginia. I worked with elementary-age students and also assisted middle school students,” she shared.
While at the co-op, Coffman discovered a library that needed some care and attention, which became her mission.
“I went in one day and was amazed by the number of books available, but there was no organization or structure. One of the things I accomplished before leaving after two years was to create a cohesive library, long before I ever considered a career in librarianship,” she explained.
After successfully curating a library for the co-op, Coffman returned to Tennessee, where she taught in the English department at Chattanooga State Community College.
She held several other positions throughout her career, including roles at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, and at a private PreK-12 school.
When a media specialist position became available at the school, Coffman hesitated to apply because she did not yet have her Master of Science in Information Sciences. However, encouragement from her supervisor prompted her to apply. During her interview process, she pitched transforming the position into a director of the Learning Commons, and she successfully landed the job with the new title.
Her next two goals were to transform the school’s library and obtain her MSIS degree, as she envisioned a long-term career in librarianship. Coffman chose the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s MSIS program based on her friend’s experience and the program’s American Library Association (ALA) accreditation.
“I had fallen in love with the profession. It was a perfect blend of all my interests, passions, and experiences. I knew that’s what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t exactly sure what type of librarianship suited me. Having served as a school librarian before, that was certainly intriguing, but my prior experience in higher education made academic librarianship a strong option, as well,” she reflected.
Coffman shared that going through the MSIS online program gave her a better understanding of and empathy for her former students who took her online courses when she taught at the university level.
After several years in the position, Coffman stepped down from her role as director of the Learning Commons to take care of her family. After taking some time off from work and while still enrolled in her program, Coffman got her first part-time job at her local public library.
During most of her time in the program she also worked for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and began her career as a reviewer.
“I was pretty connected to the publishing world and the library marketing world, especially in youth materials,” she said. “But the parts of the information sciences field that excited me the most were the subjects I hadn’t studied, such as knowledge organization theory, metadata, and cataloging. Any class I took with Brian Dobreski thrilled me.”
Coffman has come full circle from her first job as a professor in the English department at Chattanooga State to now graduating with her second master’s degree, this time in information sciences, and working for Chattanooga State as one of their lead librarians.
In her new role, she is working to integrate information literacy instruction across the college, including supporting faculty as they have recently been asked to convert their 15-week courses to seven-week sessions.
“We are focusing on aligning our curricula with the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) framework. Chattanooga State had some aspects of this in place, but nothing comprehensive or with a clear throughline,” Coffman explained. “We are also adapting what we build to ensure it’s accessible for fully online classes, hybrid classes, and those that meet in person only for seven weeks.”
Coffman is working on a variety of initiatives, including developing a stand-alone, non-credit course in their e-learning environment and creating a family-friendly study room for their library. The room will allow students who have children or are caregivers to check out a designated space that accommodates noise and movement while providing age-appropriate activities for their children.
Coffman was also selected as a 2025 ALA Emerging Leader, which allowed her to connect with other librarians across the country. Her team worked on an oral history project for the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and helped create a video project that was showcased at their anniversary banquet during the annual conference.
Additionally, Coffman appeared on a panel at the ALA 2025 conference and serves on various committees. She is set to join a nationwide Community of Practice focused on academic librarianship and professional development and was appointed as the incoming chair of the Legislation Committee for the Tennessee Library Association. She has also been selected as the Legislative Monitor for TNLA.
“I’m looking forward to advocating on behalf of all Tennessee librarians in these roles,” she shared.
Coffman shares that everyone’s journey to librarianship is different, and she is grateful for her friend’s encouragement and the flexibility of UT’s MSIS program. To top it off, her son, who graduated from high school just last year, decided to also go to UT for his college education.