In this special episode, made by one of our student podcast fellows, NYU undergraduate student Max Majak speaks with Dr. Erin Blake, Senior Cataloger at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. They talk about Erin’s journey of exploring the world of academia, the harsh realities of competitive environments, and realizing her passion lies not in climbing the academic ladder but in the joy of helping others through librarianship. 

Erin Blake is the Senior Cataloger responsible for art and manuscripts at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. She is also a faculty member of Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, where she teaches "The History of Printed Book Illustration in the West." She holds a PhD in Art History from Stanford University, and has written and lectured widely on issues related to rare materials cataloging, Shakespeare in art, and book illustration.

For a full transcript of this episode, please email ⁠career.communications@nyu.edu⁠.