Valuable Experience Available at Musselman Library
Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College
By Meggan Smith, Musselman Library Correspondent
Gettysburg College is known for encouraging students to gain practical experience both inside and outside of the classroom. Whether it is serving in a leadership role, going on a CPS Immersion trip, or participating in an externship, most students would agree that these types of experiences are impactful and life-changing.
Musselman Library also strives to provide powerful learning experiences for both current students and recent graduates alike. The examples are many, but two timely ones include the Barbara Holley Library Internship and the newly developed Digital Scholarship Summer Fellowship.
The Barbara Holley Internship, named for alumnae Barbara Holley (’54), is a library position for a recent graduate who is considering entering graduate school for information science, librarianship, or archives and records management, but has not yet done so. The position introduces the intern to various aspects of working in a library, thus helping him or her decide on a career path while gaining valuable work experience.
Here is what current intern, Alexa Schreier, has to say about her year (so far) as the Holley Intern.
What have you liked most about being the Holley Intern?
Alexa: What makes the Holley internship so unique is the opportunity to work in each department of the library. This means that over the past months I’ve been able to work on projects ranging from repairing a book from 1828, to creating a local search term pulling together nature writing books in the library’s catalog, to hosting the library’s Finals Study Break.
What has the Holley Internship done for your professional development?
Alexa: Beyond working for each department, the internship position has allowed me to sit on multiple committees such as marketing and copyright, which have contributed to my developing professional skills and preparedness to enter the workforce. As the Holley Intern, I have not only had the opportunity to learn and understand the responsibilities and work flow of each department within the library, but have been able to witness how deeply interwoven each department is.
What has been the biggest highlight of your internship?
Alexa: One of the neatest things I got to work on as the Holley Intern was designing and creating a memory scrapbook for each future intern to write about their experience in one centralized location. This has been such a great opportunity for two reasons. First, getting to make a book from scratch was an incredible experience which included choosing material for the covers and marbled papers for the inside, making a gold-tooled leather label, and learning how to make a Turks head knot for the closure. But beyond the physical process, it is immensely gratifying knowing that I have played a role in creating a lasting artifact of the internship that will pass through each future intern’s hands.
For more information about the Holley Internship, including an application for next year’s intern, visit www.gettysburg.edu/library/information/general/internships/holley.dot.
The Digital Scholarship Summer Fellowship is a new initiative that is being launched this summer as a result of the desire of Musselman Library, Educational Technology, and the Provost’s Office to find new ways to support the digital scholarship activities of students. This inaugural year will provide openings for three current students to serve as fellows. Fellows will use digital tools to interpret, analyze and present original research.
“This is more than just writing a paper and putting it on the internet,” noted R.C. Miessler, Systems Librarian. “The digital fellows will each create a project that will be an interactive, ever-evolving presentation. They will use a variety of tools, such as blogging, mapping, multi-media editing and other technology which will provide valuable experience.”
The fellowship includes a $3,500 stipend and on-campus housing for the duration of the fellowship. For more information and an application to be a digital fellow, visit https://www.gettysburg.edu/library/digital-scholarship/summer-fellows.dot.
