Cath Bruhnke originally wanted to be a high school art teacher. But their college — Charleston Southern University — only offered a degree in elementary education. When they learned that CSU was starting a graphic design program, they enrolled in that program instead, graduating with a B.A. in art with a concentration in graphic design.
Bruhnke then started a career in graphic design with a sign company in Charleston. Unfortunately, three months into the job, they showed up to work one morning only to find a sign on the door that the company had closed. All employees were laid off with no notice.
Bruhnke then went on to work for a company that designed promotional items and then later as a printing assistant and designer for Target Market, where they got experience in everything from creating tradeshow displays to coding for websites. But they were getting burned out and wanted something more. That’s when they started looking for library jobs.
“That had been a dream job as a child, to be a librarian,” Bruhnke said. “I had a really incredible teen librarian growing up [in Spartanburg] who was just awesome and made me love libraries even more than I already did.”
That same teen librarian that Bruhnke loved so much posted on Facebook that she was looking for a teen services assistant. Bruhnke applied and got the job with Spartanburg County Public Library, which not only opened the door to a career in libraries, but also got them back home, closer to family.
“I was in that job for about six months and that solidified for me that yes, I do want to apply to library school,” they said. Bruhnke graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2019 with a Master of Library and Information Science.
During their time in library school, Bruhnke needed to pick an area to focus on — what type of librarian did they want to be? Their adviser introduced them to the idea of becoming a makerspace librarian, since makerspaces were starting to be incorporated into lots of libraries. It was the perfect fit for their background and experience in graphic design and printing and also fit with their desire to work with young people and teach them skills such as sewing, knitting, and other hands-on creative activities.
Around the time they were finishing up their master’s degree, the director of the Spartanburg County Public Library’s SPARK Space was leaving, so Bruhnke applied and got the job. Unfortunately, their timing was terrible, because the COVID pandemic shut the library down right around the time they were starting in their new role. One of their first projects was working with several volunteers to sew masks for library employees coming back to work.
During their time as SPARK Space director, Bruhnke had visited Clemson’s Adobe Studio and Makerspace to get ideas to take back to their makerspace. When the Adobe Studio director position opened up at Clemson, they decided to apply. Bruhnke was hired at Clemson Libraries in May 2024.
The Adobe Studio and Makerspace is a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment dedicated to digital and hands-on creative project, located on the fifth floor of Cooper Library. The Studio is staffed with expert interns who can assist patrons with digital projects using the Adobe suite of creative products. The Studio also has video and audio recording studios and a makerspace that includes 3D printers, a fabric printer, an embroidery/sewing machine, a vinyl cutter, a button maker and other tools. All of it is free to use for Clemson students, faculty and staff.
“It’s the best kept secret of the Libraries, but I don’t want it to be a secret,” Bruhnke said. “It’s a good place to experiment and learn. We have a lot of passionate interns who want to help people. It’s hard to walk into a new space and ask for help, but that’s why they are here and that’s what they want to do.”
Outside of work, Bruhnke enjoys cooking, spending time with family, and participating in a LARP (live-action roleplaying) group based in Anderson called Weekend Warrior. They also co-founded 221B Con, the largest fan-run Sherlock Holmes convention in the Southeast.