My Semester at the Library: An Intern’s Point of View

Guest blogger Chelsea Cowit (Class of ’14) describes what an internship at the Library taught her about librarians, library resources, and self-confidence.

“My Semester at the Library”  |  By Chelsea Cowit, Purchase College Class of 2014

When you think of the library, you probably think of studying or of rushing to print your paper. What you might not consider is how much goes on behind the scenes. For the past semester, I did my undergraduate internship at the library, and I can safely say it is a far more complex place than I thought.

There are aspects of life at SUNY Purchase I don’t know about due to my status as a transfer student.  The Library’s Research by Subject guides are one of these aspects, and I’ve found them to be very valuable.  Each guide includes components to help students, whether it’s a link to a subject database or a list of required movies/books for a program like Cinema Studies.

Through my internship, I’ve seen how communication between professors and librarians is vital.  There are many aspects of the library that require communication.  Have you ever gone to an instruction session in the library? That’s set up between the professor and the librarian. New book collections also start with communication between the librarian and the professor.

On the topic of communication, I’ve always been afraid to ask for help at the Reference Desk , fearing that I would annoy the librarians, that my questions were too simple, or that the librarians were too busy to help me.  I’ve realized that this was not a good assumption. While shadowing the librarians at the reference desk, I’ve seen students from all walks of life come and ask for assistance, and I’ve watched and helped the librarians provide it. Librarians are there to help you, and their help is irreplaceable.  They can help with any type of question you may have, be it a research question or simply how to save as a PDF file.  All it takes is that first step of communication– either in person, through the text a librarian (“Text Us”) service, or the chat service (“Ask Us”), all linked on the homepage of the library.  Next time you find yourself needing assistance, ask them. They work hard to help you!

Beyond gaining knowledge of the library during my internship, I also gained confidence in myself. During my final day, I found myself helping students with confidence I had been lacking before. I helped students with an easy smile.  Before interning, I wasn’t as sure of myself when I talked, and I wasn’t confident in providing help to people. I still struggle with this, but stepping into the library to intern this semester has forced me out of my comfort zone and enabled me to gain those skills. For me, the library has been a place where I’ve grown.

Don’t Leave Your Stuff Unattended

Unattended belongings attract thieves. Please do not leave any valuables unattended in the library; this includes, but is not limited to: backpacks, laptops, wallets, purses, USB drives, textbooks, and cell phones.

It may seem like you’ll only be gone for a minute, but one minute is all that it takes for someone to walk off with your stuff.

[Lost and Found is located at the Circulation Desk.]

Senior Project Questions?

Welcome back from Spring Break! Now is crunch time for all you seniors and graduating masters students working on senior projects, capstone papers, and masters thesis. For questions about formatting, submitting, finding, and how to research your senior project, capstone paper, or master thesis, consult the library’s gateway guide for all things related to student projects:

http://purchase.libguides.com/studentprojects

Here you can get help with:

1. Setup: Steps for setting up a student project page in Moodle including designating first and second readers.

2. Research: Tips for starting the research process

3. Find: Steps for accessing student projects from previous years

4. Format: Steps for formatting a student project for submission to the digital repository

5. Submit: Steps for submiting student projects to the digital repository

And as always  use the Library Ask Us page (http://purchase.libguides.com/askus)  for any questions (about senior projects or anything else!)

Can It! Look for Our Spiffy New Recycling & Trash Cans.

It’s now much easier to recycle your bottles, cans, and paper, and to properly dispose of your trash  in the Library.  We have new sets of three cans (paper recycling, bottle and can recycling, and trash), clearly labeled, around the Library. Please use them, and help us provide a cleaner Library for you and your friends!

We heard what you said in our online survey last year. These cans are a direct response to your requests for cleaner spaces and more trash cans. Thank you to the Green Fee Fund for providing the funding for the new cans.

“Gordon Parks: A Poet & His Camera.” Wed., 2/27 @ 5 pm in the Library

A conversation with Gene Young, Gordon Parks’ Former Wife and Editor, and Mario Sprouse, Gordon Parks’ Musical Collaborator.  Moderated by Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr., Executive Director of the Gordon Parks Foundation.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

5:00pm to 6:30pm

 Library, First Floor, Government Documents Area

 Reception and refreshments to follow.

Please join the Purchase College Library and the Gordon Parks Foundation for an exciting conversation and exhibit.

About the event:

In celebration of Black History Month, join the conversation and hear stories from Gordon Parks’ longtime colleagues about his photography, music, writing, and film-making as well as learn about the many events celebrating Parks’ centennial year (2012-2013). The Gordon Parks Foundation’s archive of photography, music, and film is housed in the Purchase College Library.  Examples of Parks’ work are now on display on the Library’s First Floor.  For more information on Gordon Parks please visit: www.gordonparksfoundation.org

About Gordon Parks:

Gordon Parks (1912-2006) was born into poverty and segregation in Fort Scott, Kansas. An itinerant laborer, he worked as a brothel pianist and railcar porter, among other jobs, before buying a camera at a pawnshop, training himself, and becoming a photographer. In addition to his storied tenures at the Farm Security Administration, the Office of War Information (1941–1945), and Life magazine (1948–1972), Parks was a modern-day Renaissance man who found success as a film director, author, and composer. The first African-American director to helm a major motion picture, he popularized the Blaxploitation genre through his film Shaft (1971). He wrote numerous memoirs, novels, and books of poetry, and received many awards, including the National Medal of Arts and more than fifty honorary degrees.  In 1997 the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. mounted his retrospective exhibition “Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks.” In 2012 The Gordon Parks Foundation published “Gordon Parks: Collected Works.”

Storm Update: Library Closes at 6pm, Friday, Feb. 08

Due to the inclement weather all classes and programs are canceled for Friday, Feb. 08, 2013. An announcement for Saturday’s events will be made by 5:30 am tomorrow. Hours of operation for available services today: Campus Loop Bus     ONLY UNTIL 12:00 noon (suspended at noon on Friday until Saturday) CountyBee-LineBus   Disruptions in schedule expected (www.westchestergov.com) Hub in North              7:30 am to 5:00 pm Starbucks                   7:30 am to 5:00 pm Main Dining Hall         11:00 am to 5:00 pm More Store                 9:00 am to 1:00 am Gym                           7:00 am to 7:00 pm Library                        10:30 am to 6:00 pm Res Life A-18 office   9:00 am to 5:00 pm    8:00 pm to 12:00 midnight Res Life J-2-1 office   9:00 am to 5:00 pm    8:00 pm to 12:00 midnight Please use caution in all of your activities today.  In addition to the precipitation, there will also be very high winds.

Yoga in the Library @ 9 pm Tues, 12/18

Need to relax a little and take a break? Join us for yoga in the Library at 9 pm on Tuesday, 12/18.  It will be on the lower level, right outside the Media Resource Center / Writers Center.  Co-sponsored by the Wellness Office and the Library.  See you there!

Button making in the Library 12/17 12-4pm; 8-10pm

Make a pin, badge, or button out of recycled book covers!  Show your love for the library!  Create a design of your choice and take home a free, home-made button.

Part of our Finals Week Events, button-making will take place on Monday, December 17th from noon to 4pm and will be repeated in the evening from 8pm to 10pm. The event will take place in the 2012 Lounge on the first floor of the Library.

After the success of our button-making booth at Purchase Prism during the first week of classes, we’re bringing the semester full circle–no pun intended– with this engaging, hands-on activity.

Stop by and grab a free pin or stick around and design your own!

Free Coffee Break in Library Sunday Night (12/16)

If you’re studying hard in the Library and need a break around 10 pm on Sunday (12/16), stop by the new 2012 Lounge (Library’s main floor) for some free bagels and coffee.  Thanks to Res Life for generously providing this finals sustenance.

New Library Research Guides

Take a look at our new research by subject guides for Latin American Studies, MSA, Asian Studies, and Languages.

When you do library research, the first place to start is with a Purchase College Library Research by Subject guide.  These appear in the grey box on the Library’s Homepage and under the Research By Subject link in the left hand column.

Why not just Google? A Research by Subject guides is created for Purchase students, by Purchase librarians; it delves deeper than Google and includes library subscription resources you won’t find on the “free web.”  A research guide is a gateway that brings together different types of library resources that you’ll need for your research assignments and senior projects, including:  books from our catalog, scholarly articles in our databases, images, film and video, trustworthy websites, and overview reference resources both in print and ebook format.  Best of all, these resources have been vetted by subject specialists, so you know that you’re getting reliable, quality resources.

We’re updating our guides and adding new ones all the time tailored to the various academic disciplines and majors at Purchase college.  Try it out!  Your research starts here!