“Hi friends! Welcome to the Book Nook!” That’s how Hannah Carr, creativity and innovation specialist at the J. Willard Marriott Library, begins episodes on her podcast, The Book Nook. The weekly podcasts highlight different illustrators such as Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Book Award winning author Vashti Harrison for her book Big. Carr explains that her love for picture books started from when she was young. “It’s been my dream to write and illustrate children’s books my entire life. When I was little, I would fold pieces of printer paper in half and make my own books.” 

Creating the podcast 

Hannah Carr created The Book Nook using tools found here at the ProtoSpace in the library such as the podcast booths and editing computers. “The podcast booths have great microphones and the sound is amazing,” explained Carr. “It’s a really cozy space where I feel comfortable sitting and talking about what I love. Without the library’s resources, I don’t think I’d be able to start this podcast at all.” The booth and editing tools are all free to use for current University of Utah students, staff and faculty.  

Working at the library 

As an illustration student at the U, Hannah Carr has found a unique way to incorporate her studies into her job. The weekly sessions called “How to ProtoSpace” help students learn various skills using the tools available to them such at the button maker, sewing machine and more. Carr brought a fun personality to these sessions by creating clever critters for each subject. “Everyone would just throw out ideas for what animals we think would fit each thing,” shared Carr. “For example, we picked a squirrel for small-scale fabrication because squirrels are small and crafty and collect things.” The illustrations were then turned into stickers that can be collected by attending the weekly sessions. 

Hannah Carr is on track to graduate in 2027 and plans to pursue an MFA afterwards but for now, she’s focused on building her portfolio and taking opportunities to further her artistic and professional skills, something the library’s been able to help her with. “Working at the library has been great. I’ve had the chance to do a lot of illustrations for work which taught me to think about illustration in a more professional way while also keeping true to what I love to do. Being a student here is also great because there are all these incredible resources available to me to help me achieve my goals, as well as so many great professors, mentors, and other students who teach and inspire me every day.” 

To learn more about the work being done in ProtoSpace and the weekly events, contact Mark Howell at m.howell@utah.edu