UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students looking for meaningful work that incorporates their skills and future career goals — without leaving campus — may find that and more at Penn State University Libraries.
Flexible scheduling, convenient work locations, customizable projects, and the knowledge that Libraries’ student workers directly contribute to student success are just a few reasons that University Libraries internship opportunities, student worker positions and graduate assistantships are in high demand.
Monica Gingerich, coordinator for student experience and engagement for University Libraries’ Library Learning Services, encourages job-seeking Penn State students across the commonwealth to consider their campus library.
“Libraries faculty and staff create work environments that incorporate students’ career goals with Libraries and University strategic goals and priorities in mind,” said Gingerich. “We want working in the Libraries to be a highlight of our student employees’ experience at Penn State.”
Professional development opportunities, mentoring, a robust peer support community and a student-centered approach to scheduling and projects are incentives Gingerich said prospective new hires can expect.
“Student employees are essential for us to maintain excellent services to our university community and to further the Libraries’ vision as a world-class research library with global reach, providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for learning, collaboration, and knowledge creation,” Gingerich said.
Cassandra Florian, a fourth-year doctoral graduate assistant studying history, works in archival processing in the Eberly Family Special Collections Library on the University Park campus. She originally applied for her internship as a way to gain experience in the field she plans to pursue after graduation, she said, but has enjoyed exploration of archives outside her specialization of 18th-century German religious history.
“My favorite part about working in libraries has to be the surprises and intellectual challenges that come with the work. No two collections are the same and each have their own challenges and peculiarities,” said Florian. “It’s a job that never gets boring, and you end up learning so much from it. If you are interested in working in libraries, an internship in special collections is an incredibly rewarding experience.”
From Bednar Interns, who use their disciplinary backgrounds to inform public-facing work that benefits both internal and external library users; to peer research consultants, who work one-on-one assisting fellow students toward academic success in the Search Bar; to Access Services employees, who manage book circulation and the Common Services desk, the University Libraries offers a breadth of disciplines and opportunities available to student workers.
Rebecca Miller Waltz, University Libraries’ associate dean for learning and undergraduate services, said that faculty, staff and the administrative team stress a strong commitment to supporting student learning, both inside and outside of the classroom.
“Our student internships, graduate assistantships, and part-time student positions provide important opportunities for students to apply what they're learning in the classroom and to engage in new areas of knowledge and skill development,” she said. “Our goal is for our student colleagues to have meaningful learning experiences across a broad spectrum of disciplines and become an integral part of our professional network and library community.”
Haven Harrington, a fourth-year majoring in classics and ancient Mediterranean studies and part-time digital collections student assistant, agrees. “I wanted to work at the Libraries because I've always enjoyed books, organization, and research. I also thought that a job at [the Libraries] would allow me to broaden my academic and professional network and provide me with the resources necessary to thrive in my position.”
“It's a super fun and rewarding experience, so if you're interested in working with archives, books, databases, or even random artifacts, you should apply!” said Harrington.
Penn State University Libraries offers a number of awards, scholarships and internship opportunities to undergraduates and assistantships to graduate students. Applications are accepted each spring for the following academic year.
Available part-time student positions are posted on Penn State’s career page for all University Libraries Commonwealth Campus locations and branches, and are open to Penn State students of all majors and colleges.
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.