The innerworkings of an academic library require the constant motion of many moving parts to keep things running efficiently. At Texas State, Paivi Rentz works tirelessly behind the scenes to keep many of these gears turning. If you have ever checked out an item or used a library resource, chances are she had a hand in making it available to you.
Rentz not only serves as the head of University Libraries access and collection services, overseeing the Alkek Library’s checkout and reserve operations, interlibrary loan, and stacks management, she is also currently serving as the library’s system coordinator. As such, she oversees the technical aspects of the library catalog including the database pages. And she manages the inventory and tracking system at the Archives and Research Center (ARC). As if all that isn’t enough, she is also the subject librarian for philosophy.
A native of Finland, Rentz earned a degree in English and German with minors in education and computer science and started her career as a foreign language teacher in Finland. Ever curious and thirsty to learn, Rentz journeyed to the U.S. to learn firsthand about America’s English-speaking culture. It was supposed to be a fact-finding mission, but it turned into a permanent destination. While here, she got married and had a son and sought a new career in libraries.
“I’ve been very happy with that career choice,” Rentz said. “It’s been fun and very interesting. I specialized in more of the technical aspects of library, so I learned a lot. It’s nice because you get to help people and you kind of see the impact of what you do. You can’t do that in all jobs.”
After stints at The University of Texas and Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Rentz landed at Texas State in 2005 and has had a hand in just about every aspect of the library’s collections. She started in serials acquisitions, then became the electronic resources librarian before spending five years as the head of acquisitions and then becoming the systems coordinator where her computer science background and technical librarian expertise came in very handy. Over the years, she has not only gained extensive expertise in management of library systems, she has also become an expert in a number of academic subject areas. She has served as the subject librarian for computer science, biology, geography, English and philosophy.
“I’ve been a subject librarian since 2006, so I have a lot of experience. If they have a vacancy (when a librarian leaves), they like to give it to someone who knows how to do it,” Rentz said. “I’ve had to shift gears to learn new subjects. You get to learn a lot about the faculty and their research and preferences, so I know our collection quite well. I’m probably one of the few people who really know it.”
The library catalog includes nearly 2.4 million titles and Rentz’s work makes it possible for you to identify and locate the resource you need. You can do a broad search for resources on a given topic by starting your research using the search bar on the library’s home page. This is a discovery tool that locates articles, books, eResources and other research materials. Some of these items may be in the Texas State collection and some may not. Either way, more than likely the library can help you access it either electronically, on our shelves or through interlibrary loan thanks to the work of Rentz and others who keep the gears turning.
“When an item is checked out or we don’t have it, we can fulfill most requests to get it through interlibrary loan unless it is something really rare in a special collection. Foreign theses are difficult to get, but other than that, we can usually get it pretty quickly,” Rentz said.
If you want to limit your search to items in the Texas State collection, the catalog button below the search bar will bring up the library’s catalog system and you can use the search filters on either side of the bar to find what is available in Alkek, the ARC or the RRC Library.
Rentz wants patrons to be sure to report any problems they have with any electronic resources by using the Report a Problem with eResources link at the bottom of the catalog or database page. This form will go directly to the team of people who can quickly address any issues that arise.
When not exercising her brain learning new subject areas and keeping things working at the library, Rentz likes to engage in physical workouts with a trainer. She also enjoys traveling and journeys back to her native Finland every other year to see her family.
“When I go to Finland, I usually pick another destination to visit,” Rentz said. “I’ve been to many places like Athens, Rome, St. Petersburg and Berlin. I usually go with my son, so we pick a place to go together. Last time, we went to Barcelona and that was really nice.”
Luckily for the faculty, staff and students at Texas State University, she picked the U.S. and San Marcos, Texas as her home destination. Her dedication and hard work keep the library moving in the right direction.
This article was contributed by Debbie Pitts, University Libraries marketing and communications coordinator.