Hiya everybody! I'm Shana Merker, a junior music and biology major, and I work as a student assistant in Content Services.
Content Services covers a lot; my main job is typically processing new government documents for shelving, but I might also spend my time delivering books, shelving microfilms, fetching the newspapers, or sorting the mail. You probably won't see too much of me, though - I mainly stay in the Content Services section of the ground floor, which is restricted to the public. It's rad to see the invisible side of Swem!
I started working at Swem about a year and a half ago, in October of my Sophomore year. At first, I was worried that my music department concerts and biology labs would ruin my schedule. I didn't need to worry - students in Content Services get to make our own schedules. I choose to work early in the morning just to get myself out of bed: seeing my coworkers and bosses is a really exciting way to start my days.
One of my favorite parts of working in Content Services at Swem is seeing the new materials arrive. Without Swem, I would never have read Seahorses: a life-size guide to every species, which shows that even the biggest sea dragon would still easily fit in a hand. Gifts from donors interesting: we have hundreds of old teaching primers, the thousands of dog books from the Chapin-Horowitz Collection, and even a Latin translation of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The Content Services area also has physical reminders of history hiding around, from our old card catalog
I've really gotten to know the libraries and the people who make everything work. As a student assistant, I feel appreciated, both for my work and who I am. No matter how hectic life gets, Swem is always here for me!