English major lands dream job ��

Very few people are lucky enough to land their dream job. Even fewer are lucky enough to achieve this kind of success while they are in college. Portland State student Sophi Soprani joined the ranks of these lucky few in late August when the Heathman Hotel hired her as the librarian for one of the most exclusive libraries in the country.

“It’s incredible,” Soprani said of her job.  

What makes Heathman’s library so unique is how the books in the collection are obtained.

“To have your book added to our library you must be a published author and have spent the night as a guest of the Heathman,” said Chris Erickson, the hotel manager. “When an author stays with us, we purchase a copy of their book and leave it by their bedside to sign or doodle in. After their stay, the book remains with us in the collection.”

Now that word has gotten out about this unique aspect of the collection, there are many authors and publishing houses vying to place their books in the Heathman library. However, Erickson explained that to continue the original idea of the library, it strictly adheres to keeping only books that have been signed by authors that have actually stayed at the hotel.

“Many of the large publishing houses in [New York] frequently want to donate books to our library,” he said. “While we always appreciate the offer, we have to turn them down.”

When an author comes to stay at the Heathman, Soprani is the one who talks with them about their book and adding it to the library.

“I love being able to talk with the authors about their work,” Soprani said. “I also get to talk to other guests who come to see the library. They are so happy to come and see a library where they can hold a signed, first-edition copy of an author’s work in their own hands. This is an extremely rare thing in a library.”

In addition, the “Books by Your Bedside” program allows guests to check out many of the books to read in their own rooms, according to the hotel’s website.

“The main mission of the library is to integrate the guest experience with the community and a passion for literacy,” Erickson said.

Soprani is also responsible for cataloguing the library. Currently it is out of date, she said.

“There are new authors coming in every week and an additional 2,000 books sitting in the basement of the Heathman,” she said.

Cataloguing the library not only informs the Heathman of its library’s contents, but also provides a database that guests can search using library computers or the library website.  

Now that the cataloguing process is underway, Soprani said that she hopes to expand the library in the near future. “We want to set up some more shelves and some kind of rotation plan so that more of the collection can be on display at one time.”  

Soprani also hosts the Heathman Hotel’s evening wine event that runs Monday through Thursday, in addition to coordinating community events with organizations such as the Northwest Children’s Theater, Powell’s Books and the Literary Arts Foundation, according to Erickson.

Soprani, a passionate reader and a sophomore in the Honors College at PSU, is currently studying English. This quarter, she is taking Honors Science 1, Survey of English Literature and French.

“I am very interested in entering the publishing world,” Soprani said. “I could definitely imagine working as an editor.” She hopes to pursue a graduate degree in writing after she finishes her undergraduate studies.

“PSU has an amazing graduate writing program that I would love to be a part of,” she said.   

According to Soprani, before getting the job at the Heathman through PSU’s Career Connect website, she had already racked up experience in the literary world. During high school she explored her passion for literature by working at the Multnomah County Library and writing for a number of literary magazines. However, she plans to stay at the Heathman library while studying at PSU.  

Soprani will be hosting a book signing and meet-and-greet for author Rupert Isaacson and his new book The Horse Boy on Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. The book’s accompanying film will be shown in the Northwest Film Center on the same day at 7 p.m., Soprani said.