Brynne Smith, an undergraduate student, has joined us today for a Q&A to share what her day is like as the Student Library Assistant at the Clements!
Tell us about your background and how you came to work at the Clements Library.
I am from Ann Arbor! I am going into my Junior year this fall at the University of Michigan studying Art History, and I plan on picking up a minor in Museum Studies. After I graduate, I plan to earn a Master’s in Library Science and enter the archival field. I have been working at the Clements for almost a year now! I first came to the library in high school through a program that allowed me to create a class on a subject I was interested in. I knew I wanted to learn more about special collections libraries, so I spent a summer here learning about what it meant to be an archivist.
During her high school program at the Clements, Brynne worked with the David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography. Here are a few postcards that stuck out to her!
The William A. Watts Papers aren’t available for research just yet, but will be soon!
What has been your favorite piece of history that you have processed or worked with?
I just finished pre-processing work on a new collection that I got to name myself, the William A. Watts Papers! It was named after the man whose letters and papers made up the collection, but it feels special to be the one who knows the most about that collection right now.
What is your favorite thing about working at the Clements Library?
I think my favorite thing about working at the Clements is getting to see what everyone around me is working on. I have the privilege of working with a lot of really interesting people who are working on a diverse set of projects. My coworkers are always happy to talk about their current projects, so I get to learn a lot from them.
What is your favorite time period to study?
I enjoy learning about any and all time periods, but I am particularly interested in the medieval period.
What does your schedule look like as a student worker? What are the struggles and benefits of being a student worker?
During the school year, my schedule is quite busy. I fit time at the Clements between my classes, and then spend my evenings attending club meetings, doing homework, and spending time with friends.
I think it can be very hard to juggle the many responsibilities of student life. I want to be a good student, a good employee, a good friend, and a person who is very involved on campus. Finding time to give attention to all of those things is very difficult. However, now that I have found a rewarding job at the Clements, it feels a lot easier to make those things happen.
I think being a student worker has taught me how to handle a lot of responsibilities at once. I never have just one thing on my to-do list, and I have had to learn how to plan for that. This has made me a harder worker and someone who can handle a lot of pressure.
How do you balance being a student worker?
For me to balance being a student worker, I need to be a very organized person. I do my best to keep my calendar organized and updated. I need to take time at the start of the week to consider all of the things I have to do–work, homework, extra studying, or responsibilities for my clubs–and figure out how I can make all of those things happen.
What skills are required in your daily work?
A lot of my projects have really tested my ability to read handwriting. Very rarely are the documents I read written neatly and clearly. I have had to practice reading cursive and being able to make inferences about what a word is or what a sentence is saying if I don’t have all the information.
Historic Visual Culture Graduate Assistant Ella Brooks-Kamper is currently working with a collection of stereoscopic images, which Brynne gets the pleasure of looking at between manuscripts!
What does a typical day look like for you? From beginning to end? What are some surprises that pop up during the week?
On a typical day, I usually wake up, have breakfast, and head to class. Classes tend to take up my morning and afternoon. After classes, I come to work some days, or I just head home. I always like to get dinner with my roommate or my friends. In the evenings, I often have club meetings or responsibilities for my clubs. I’m on the executive board of the Women’s Glee Club, so I have a lot of responsibilities during the week related to Glee, but also a lot of fun social events. When I am not slammed with homework, I like to make plans with my friends. Those can often be pretty impromptu, be it a walk in the park, a gym run, or a game night.
What do you wish you would have known about your job before starting?
I wish I could tell myself to be more open with the people around me. I felt awkward here at first because so many of the student interns are grad students who know each other very well. I felt nervous talking to them, but I ended up making some really great connections with my coworkers. I wish I could tell myself to hurry up and get over my nerves, so I could make some good friends.
If you could give one piece of advice to incoming undergraduate students, what would it be?
I would tell an incoming undergraduate student to try everything! The University of Michigan offers so many opportunities to try anything and everything. Take advantage of that! I have learned so much about myself just by exploring the random things that interest me. It’s such a privilege to be in a community that offers me so many opportunities, and I’m really grateful for that.