{"id":7233,"date":"2025-02-10T16:21:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T22:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/?p=7233"},"modified":"2025-03-03T09:22:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T15:22:24","slug":"student-employees-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/2025\/02\/10\/student-employees-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"For UI Libraries student employees, groundwork for success and epiphanies come with the job"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When the University of Iowa Libraries was established in 1855, its collection consisted of 50 books shelved in a room no larger than a broom closet. Over the past 170 years, the Libraries has developed into its current incarnation: a world-class system with seven campus libraries<\/strong><\/a>; a state-of-the-art, high-density print preservation facility<\/strong><\/a>; and a museum-quality exhibition gallery<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines depend on the Libraries for academic and research support\u2014but for the thousands of student employees throughout the years, one of its most impactful offerings is on-the-job learning that sets them up for success.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Carmela<\/a>
Carmela Furio, student employee in Special Collections and Archives.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Carmela Furio loves the hands-on nature of their job in the Libraries Special Collections and Archives. As new books arrive at the Libraries, Furio handles them with care, recording relevant attributes for future researchers. The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) student works as a library support lead supervised by Jenna Silver, processing coordinator archivist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful for the unique opportunity to process and accession manuscript collections as a student worker,\u201d says Furio. \u201cBe it World War II-era love letters, science fiction fanzines, or 19th-century ephemera, it’s amazing to know the materials I work with will go on to support historical narratives far beyond my time at Iowa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Furio started as a library student employee, they were an undergraduate who had just accepted a place in SLIS after applying during their fourth year at Iowa. Already a frequent user of the Libraries, Furio was drawn to the field of library and information science because of its connection to some of their most deeply held values, including open access and community heritage. But before starting the program, Furio wanted to gain familiarity with the libraries they loved from a new perspective: that of an employee.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Carmela<\/a>
Carmela Furio processes materials found in the David Cole Papers (Msc1260).\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIt was actually a big worry of mine, not having enough experience before I started my program,\u201d says Furio. \u201cBut Special Collections became this wonderful confirmation that library work was for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furio is one of about 135 students who are employed by the Libraries during any given semester. These student workers fill a variety of roles, and they\u2019re essential to the daily operations of all seven libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom the Main Library Service Desk to the Annex, our student workers help the Libraries excel as learning environments and community-building spaces,\u201d says John Culshaw, Jack B. King university librarian. \u201cWe do all we can\u2014through scholarships, mentorship, and other support\u2014to ensure that they get just as much out of the Libraries as they give.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data shows that student library workers feel that support. In fall 2024, half of Libraries student employees were returning to roles they\u2019d had the previous semester, and it\u2019s common for students to continue working for the Libraries throughout their time at the university.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Dr.<\/a>
Dr. Lisa Kreber, former student employee at the former Biology Library, which merged into the Sciences Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Upon graduation, student library workers also receive their diplomas while wearing Hawkeye old gold honor cords that set them apart as alumni of the Libraries. For many, like Dr. Lisa Kreber (BS \u201999), it\u2019s a designation they carry with pride long after they graduate. Kreber is a neuroscientist and multisite director of neurology at the Brain and Spine Institute within Adventist Health in Bakersfield, California. For 25 years, she has dedicated her career to improving results for patients recovering from brain injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll these years later, I often still think about the job I had working in the Libraries and how that shaped my life,\u201d says Kreber. \u201cIt was quite the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kreber sought a position in the former Biology Library (which has since been merged into the Sciences Library) immediately upon enrolling at Iowa. At the time, she felt confident about where her path would lead: to medical school, then on to a career as a neurosurgeon or neurologist. Instead, the job offered her something even more precious, revealing new possibilities when her certitude wavered.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Lisa<\/a>
Lisa Kreber during her time as a student at the University of Iowa. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cAs I took classes, I realized I didn\u2019t like biology as much as I loved psychology and neuroscience,\u201d says Kreber. \u201cMy experience in the Biology Library interacting with professors gave me the courage to approach one of my psychology professors, Dr. Mark Blumberg<\/a>, about becoming a student researcher in his lab.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kreber started working with Blumberg while continuing her role at the Libraries. From there, a path began to unfurl before her, including earning a PhD in psychology and neuroscience from the University of Colorado at Boulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure I would have decided to pursue a PhD had it not been for my experiences in the Biology Library,\u201d Kreber says. \u201cThe conversations I had there influenced me, and I developed a passion for research.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kreber is not the only alum whose job in the Libraries led to a calling. James Fitzmaurice, emeritus professor of English at Northern Arizona University and now an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield (U.K.), began working at the Art Library in 1967 while pursuing a PhD in English.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Jiames<\/a>
James Fitzmaurice, former student employee at the Art Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Without a visual arts background, Fitzmaurice was initially nervous that he wouldn\u2019t know enough to help students at the Art Library. But through daily interactions with faculty and students, Fitzmaurice became interested in the intersections of art and literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, the visual arts found their way into his dissertation, which focused on 18th-century emblem books<\/a>. His research took him deeper into Special Collections and Archives, where he handled volumes whose illustrated contents would become the core of his academic career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To this day, Fitzmaurice looks back with extreme gratitude at the encouragement he received from his supervisor at the time, art librarian Harlan Sifford.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Author<\/a>
Author James Fitzmaurice (left) returned to the University of Iowa for a conversation about his young adult novel, Hobgoblin Gennel, moderated by Library and Information Science graduate student Theo Prineas as part of the Iowa City Book Festival in October 2024. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201c[Sifford] said, \u2018Well, if you’re checking in a book and it looks interesting, if there’s no one around, you should just read it,\u2019\u201d says Fitzmaurice. \u201cBecause of that, the visual arts have been extremely important in my understanding of literature throughout my career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kreber, too, remembers the names of her supervisors and the lessons they imparted. \u201cI strive to be a boss like Bob [Lane] and Jeff [Dodd] were to me,\u201d she says. \u201cSupportive, compassionate, and always willing to roll up my sleeves to help my team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These meaningful supervisory relationships are crucial in setting employment at the Libraries apart from the more than 7,000 other roles<\/a> for students on campus. And they\u2019re among the threads that bind generations of the Libraries\u2019 student workers\u2014no matter what else changes at the university or in the field of librarianship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Art Library\u2019s Jim Hall, library assistant, takes that legacy seriously. In 2023, the students he supervised expressed their gratitude by nominating him for a campuswide award, UI Student Supervisor of the Year. The Pomerantz Career Center selected Hall for the award<\/a> from a field of 106 nominees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Hall, acting as an effective supervisor and mentor requires two central values: patience and encouragement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI try to impress upon student employees that we appreciate them,\u201d says Hall. \u201cPatricia [Gimenez, director of the Art Library] and I want them to know how important they are to the operation of the library, without laying on any additional pressure. It\u2019s really not possible to be too patient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that supportive philosophy clearly resonates with students. According to Hall’s nominators, his mentorship provides the knowledge they need for problem solving and he constantly prioritizes their mental health in the workplace.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When student employees eventually move into the wider world\u2014as Kreber and Fitzmaurice as well as Hall\u2019s students have\u2014the impact of the Libraries echoes far beyond campus. That\u2019s why Culshaw has expanded opportunities for students to receive the kind of advanced training and scholarship support<\/a> that have benefited student library workers through the decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur student workers remain a part of our community all their lives,\u201d says Culshaw, who started his own career with a job at his undergraduate institution\u2019s library. \u201cThey are an important part of the Libraries\u2019 story, just as we hope to be part of theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever happens, the priorities that will define the Libraries\u2019 next chapter are clear, including support for students like Furio, whose time in Special Collections and Archives has affirmed more than their choice of career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gained so many mentors working here, and for the first time ever I can really see a path ahead where I\u2019m happy and feel like myself,\u201d says Furio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

To learn more about how you can support Libraries\u2019 student employees, including advanced students such as Furio, contact paula.wiley@foriowa.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did your time as a Libraries student worker positively impact your life? Please share your thoughts with us at lib-communication@uiowa.edu<\/a> for inclusion in a future Bindings.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the University of Iowa Libraries was established in 1855, its collection consisted of 50 books shelved in a room no larger than a broom closet. Over the past 170 years, the Libraries has developed into its current incarnation: a world-class system with seven campus libraries; a state-of-the-art, high-density print preservation facility; and a museum-qualityContinue reading “For UI Libraries student employees, groundwork for success and epiphanies come with the job”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":331,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[92,100],"syndication":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7233"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7233"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7313,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7233\/revisions\/7313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7233"},{"taxonomy":"syndication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/syndication?post=7233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}