From Bake-offs to Books: Devon Stolz’s Journey to Libraries and Student Engagement

Published: September 9, 2024
By: Alison Lang

The path to the hallowed halls of academia – and specifically, academic libraries – isn’t always straightforward. In Devon Stolz’s case, his journey to the University of Toronto included a brief stopover into the world of TV baking in 2018 when he became a contestant in the second season of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Stolz, who currently works as U of T’s student engagement librarian, had just returned from teaching in Japan and applied on a whim from his hometown in rural Saskatchewan.  “I was such a fan of the show,” he recalls. “I never thought I would be selected and get to be on TV.”  

While Stolz didn’t make it to the final round, he still wowed audiences and judges – including Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy - with creations like bibimbap pastries and mascarpone date squares. More importantly, he connected with a network of bakers across the country that remains strong to this day.

While the connection between baking and librarianship might not be immediately obvious, Stolz sums it up nicely: “Being a librarian is a bit like being a baker… You have to multi-task and be very organized and on top of things. You’re watching a lot of simmering pots, making sure none of them boil over.”

For Stolz, this close focus on project management – and engagement with students – is a major appeal of being a librarian.

“Community engagement has been a huge part of my career,” Stolz says. “I don’t think I could work at a job where I wasn’t doing work I believed in – or wasn’t benefitting the lives of other people.”

Stolz’s role at U of T impacts people in a variety of ways – and he juggles a variety of tasks and projects in order to make these connections. Now that the academic year has begun, you’ll see him doing a lot of direct engagement tabling at undergraduate and graduate student orientation fairs, chatting and answering questions about library supports. And Stolz’s passion is evident in his work overseeing U of T’s Personal Librarian Program.

The Personal Librarian program 

Each academic year, every Faculty of Arts and Science first-year student is assigned a personal librarian. The program aims to help students with:

•    Assignments, research, and compiling reference lists,
•    Navigating U of T’s library buildings,
•    Setting up meetings virtually, by phone, or in person for one-on-one support.

Stolz coordinates this team of librarians, many of whom have been part of the program for years. He emphasizes that the program is designed to ease "library anxiety" by providing a non-judgmental point of contact for students.

“Libraries can be scary places,” Stolz says. “It’s important to have that first point of contact [with a personal librarian] to help you answer any question, without judgment.  They want to help you.”

Stolz says the program is primarily designed to support library wayfinding, in every sense of the word. In addition to supporting student research, personal librarians provide support with the sometimes-intimidating process of navigating U of T’s physical buildings.

Stolz’s PhD research on student engagement, especially for first-generation students, aligns with the program’s goals. His own experience—being the first in his family to attend university and managing dyscalculia, a learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to understand number-based information, processes and math —has shaped his understanding of how students interact with large institutions like U of T.

“I’m always thinking about students like me – maybe it’s their first time in a really big library. I grew up in rural Saskatchewan, and our school library was basically one room. It’s so easy to assume people know how to navigate a big library and do things like finding a book. But maybe they don’t, and that’s okay! That skill requires intentional thinking, and we have to help students navigate these places. Including diverse perspectives and experiences in the library will only improve the work that we do.”

Learn more about the personal librarian program. This program is offered by several faculties at U of T. The first email notifying first-year arts and sciences students of the program will be issued on September 30th.