This series of profiles highlight valued student employees from across the Libraries, including Katherine June St George, a Student General Assistant at Manhattanville Business Library and the Science and Engineering Library. The Libraries are the largest employer of students on campus. We couldn’t serve our users without them!
Q: Which library do you work at and what is your title?
I work primarily at the Manhattanville Business Library and the Science and Engineering Library, though I frequently pick up additional shifts at other locations. I am a Student General Assistant.
Q: What does your job entail?
I help patrons access library materials such as reserve books or electronics, shelve returned materials, process incoming mail, answer general questions about library services in-person or over the phone, and just in general provide additional support for the full-time library assistants. I also sometimes help close up the libraries.
Q: Could you describe your favorite part of working at the Libraries?
The best part of working at the Libraries is meeting other SESSL employees and student GAs! Everybody is so cool and welcoming, and I enjoy getting to know my coworkers during my shifts. SESSL is a really awesome community.
Q: What is your area of study?
I am an English major and I am currently working on an undergraduate thesis about Victorian industrial novels.
Q: Of the libraries on campus, which is your favorite place to study?
I enjoy studying at Butler! Because I have shifts at SESSL libraries, going to a space where I don’t usually work is a nice change of pace sometimes, especially if I have to really buckle down and focus.
Q: What do you consider to be a “hidden gem” at the library where you work?
I don’t work in Social Work that often this semester, but it’s definitely a hidden gem as far as libraries go. Non-Social Work students don’t take enough advantage of this library! It’s a little far from the main campus, but the stacks have floor-to-ceiling windows and super comfy chairs that provide a beautiful view of Amsterdam Avenue. It’s particularly pretty at sunset. I cannot recommend it enough.
Q: What book are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading Anna Karenina for class, but in my spare time I’ve been (very slowly) working through Tony Tulathimutte’s Private Citizens. He has a super unique narrative voice and I’ve been really enjoying the novel so far.