Corning Museum of Glass

Beth Hylen was a reference and education librarian at the Rakow Research Library. She joined the Library in 1978 and worked in a variety of positions until her retirement in 2020. She holds a BA in English from Centre College of Kentucky, Danville and earned her MLS at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Hylen served as liaison to the Education Department and led the development of educational programming. She  also provided reference and instruction services for both on- and off-site patrons. She recently completed the New York Foundation for the Arts MARK Program.

Hylen is a member of the Glass Art Society, the Art Libraries Society (ARLIS/NA), Art Libraries Society of Western New York (ARLIS/WNY), New York Library Association, and The ARTS of the Southern Finger Lakes. In 2010, she served as President of the Art Libraries Society of Western New York. Hylen received the Art Libraries Society of Western New York Professional Development Award in 2004 and serves on the Glass Art Society History Advisory Committee and the ISGB Studio Safety Project. She has recently been a featured speaker for the Glass Art Society Conference, the International Flameworking Conference, the Art Libraries Association (ARLIS/NA), the American Cut Glass Association, the Carder Steuben Club, International Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB), and The Corning Museum of Glass. In addition, Hylen is co-author of “Children in a Research Library? Creative Projects for K-12 Students at the Rakow Research Library of The Corning Museum of Glass,” in the book Bringing Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts into the Library, published by the American Library Association in 2012. She also has published a number of articles in glass-related publications.

An accomplished glass and mixed media artist, Hylen teaches workshops and classes in metal, clay and glass at The Studio, and has assisted at Penland School of Crafts, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pilchuck Glass School, and UrbanGlass. Her work has been featured in Women Working in Glass (Lucartha Kohler), New Glass Review, and Showcase 500 Rings, among others.