Beneath the Library Shelves
It’s so easy to pick up a library book. We’ve all done this: browse the shelves, select an interesting cover, glance at the contents, check it out, leave. Or maybe we don’t need a book today. We slip in through the expansive corner entrance and choose a computer. If it’s empty, don’t sit too close to someone. That’d be weird. If it’s full, scan all of the rows for an opening. Or maybe it’s one of those group assignments; we have to figure out where the collaboration room might be. Nope, the first floor is actually upstairs. Don’t get the numbers confused.
For many of us, these are our daily or weekly interactions with the library. On the surface, the library is a simple place. It has books, computers, and study spaces. We check out the books, utilize the computers—the printers, what a godsend!—and work with our peers. But beneath the surface, many complicated processes take place with all sorts of analysis, labor, and planning.
Oh, and treasures.
As an intern, I—along with two fellow seniors—have spent the semester learning and exploring the library. Don’t, even for a second, think libraries are boring. All of us have considered library work as a potential career option, one of the reasons this internship exists and why we applied. So maybe we’re a little biased. But look beyond the reflective black windows along Cedar Lake, behind that stately reference desk, on the other side of the special collections window, underneath the upper level, within the Digital Commons room—in all of those places are magnificent resources, developments, plans, artifacts, and more.
In short, if you’ve spent most of your time in the computer section or quickly checking out books, you may have overlooked all sorts of treasures.
The archives and special collections are most impressive to many people. Mr. Lynn Brock, Dean of Library Services, manages the Archives. He provided us interns with an impressive tour recently, where we witnessed over a hundred years of Cedarville history. Mr. Brock is a magnificent storyteller. He has a quiet but meaningful tone, the kind where people drop what they’re doing and come to listen. He treats his subject matter with personal touches and impressive knowledge. He tells the stories of alumni, even those many decades removed from our own era of Cedarville history, as if they’re long-time friends.
In a way, they are friends. In the archives sit diaries and journals, thousands of pictures, memorabilia, recordings, and much more. They tell the stories of people, and Mr. Brock knows them best. He spends countless hours organizing and learning about people—real, interesting, people. Cedarville people. And although they aren’t around anymore, they’ve left behind their stories through all of those mediums, a living story by which we get to know them. In the special collections tour, I got to feel the page of a several-hundred year-old Bible. I saw some of the furniture that Rev. Jeremiah once used. I examined incredible items which go far beyond the Cedarville story.
In the Digital Commons, Greg Martin, Tricia Clark, and Kirsten Setzkorn manage unbelievable amounts of content. Like the archives, they make sure that most of the publications, events, academic work, and much more become digitally stored for all to see. I’m in the process of ‘publishing’ some children’s book reviews, a part of an internship assignment. It’s a lengthy process, so the hard work this department puts forth is impressive. Today, you can access hundreds of yearbooks and even search for your own name and yearbook photo. You can do it now, on your computer. Visit the Digital Commons on Cedarville’s website and try it out.
And what about that big Research Center desk? The one near the computers, toward the entrance. That’s where you can—for absolutely no cost—find all sorts of help for your research assignments. The reference librarians might not know much about your particular topic—or they might know almost everything! But one thing’s for sure, they know all kinds of tips and tricks to find information quickly. There are entire books written about their job and how to reach students. In the internship, we’ve gotten to read some of those books. Let me say this: don’t be afraid to ask for help. You’ll be glad you did.
I haven’t told you about the complicated processes of sorting through books, building the collection, handling patron concerns, attending conferences, all of the upgrades in technology, and all sorts of other work that takes place in just one building.
The library internship has given me an inside look at these processes. All I can say is, much more takes place there than mere computer labs and book shelves. Thank your librarians next time you see them. Their work forms the center of all learning.
Centennial Library Intern Austin Becton is an English major from Dayton, Ohio. He is the editor of The Foil.
Tags: cedarville, library internship
Posted in: cedarville, library internship