Invest in Today's Learners and Tomorrow's Leaders
Patrick Grosse, who will graduate with a B.S. in Engineering in May, has built technical, teamwork, communication and critical thinking skills through his work in Cline Library's MakerLab. A job or internship at Cline Library can offer a student much more than a paycheck. It can also provide experiential learning opportunities that will benefit them during college and contribute to their career readiness.
Cline Library fosters a flexible work environment where student employees and interns can develop a wide range of knowledge, skills, and abilities.
These funds help Cline Library make a difference for student employees and interns.
The Elizabeth M. and P.T. Reilly Endowment supports a paid summer internship with an archival focus for a qualified graduate or senior undergraduate student interested in a career in information management. Special Collections and Archives staff design internships that expand our knowledge of the Colorado Plateau while supporting NAU’s mission; many of SCA’s physical and virtual exhibits were curated by former Reilly interns. Unique learning, collaboration and presentation opportunities contribute to a Reilly intern’s experience and professional growth. Each Reilly intern’s work is supported by a substantial stipend provided by the Elizabeth M. and P.T. Reilly Endowment.
Meet Britney Bibeault
Britney Bibeault graduated from NAU with B.A. degrees in History and in Anthropology in 2020. During her undergraduate studies Britney worked in Special Collections and Archives at Cline Library. As the 2019 Elizabeth M. and P.T. Reilly intern, Britney Bibeault was the lead curator for the exhibit Full Circle: The Life and Legacies of Katie Lee. After graduating from NAU, Britney attended the University of Arizona’s iSchool and completed the Masters in Library and Information Science with a certificate in Archival Studies in 2022.
Britney is now a PhD student at the University of Maryland’s iSchool; she describes her research as focused on “the history of community archiving, how communities choose to keep their materials and share knowledge, and what the future of community and mainstream archiving looks like as ideas about ethical, reparative, and decolonial methods become more normalized.”
What did Britney learn during her internship? She shared: “Some of the greatest skills I learned were interpersonal skills (between colleagues, superiors, and the public/researchers), digital technology (I’m now working to integrate some of the things I learned about digitizing into my research and work), and archival practices.”
She also credits Cline Library archivists with influencing her career readiness and aspirations.
“Sean Evans and Peter Runge encouraged me to pursue my MLIS before I even knew that’s what I wanted to do,” she said.
The Mary Crawley Memorial Scholarship supports education-related expenses – in particular, textbook purchases – for an NAU student employed by Cline Library. The scholarship is named for a former Library Supervisor who maintained a great rapport with the students she supervised. Two $1,000 scholarships are awarded each academic year in her honor. The application process includes an essay component that asks applicants to reflect on and share what they have learned working at the library. Recipients of the Mary Crawley Scholarship gain financial support to continue their education.
Meet Mowana Lomaomvaya
Mowana Lomaomvaya presented at the 2024 “Following Knowledge Forward” Conference, which was held in Philadelphia, Pa. When Mowana Lomaomvaya, Cline Library Archivist for Indigenous Initiatives and Cultures, presented at the Following Knowledge Forward conference hosted by the American Philosophical Society Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) last fall, it was a full circle moment.
In Spring 2018 Mowana, who was a student employee in Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, received the Mary Crawley Scholarship. That summer she interned with CNAIR in 2018 and conducted a research project regarding a former Carlisle Indian Industrial School student named White Buffalo in the later 1800s.
Fast forward to Fall 2024 and Mowana was again presenting at the CNAIR, this time on the collaborative work of a Cline Library team and the NAU Seven Generations Indigenous Knowledge Center thus far in developing the Indigenous Knowledges Digital Learning Library (IKDLL), an open access Indigenous OER repository for digital materials teaching Indigenous knowledges and providing Indigenous perspectives on a variety of topics and disciplines. For more information on the IKDLL, visit ikdll.nau.edu.
In addition to overseeing the management of the IKDLL, Mowana assists with review of policies and care of collections that describe or depict Indigenous and Native American communities, cultures, and life to ensure respectful care and access in accordance with the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials.
The Cline Library Student Workforce Promise Fund supports experiential employment and internship opportunities in the library for NAU students. This fund makes it possible to consistently provide students with focused and relevant learning opportunities as well as connect them with natural coaches and mentors from the library staff, custom internships, professional development, and interactions with a highly diverse academic community ─ all while their employment helps them pay for their education.
Meet Trey Rankine and Andrew See
Andrew See (l) and Trey Rankine, who both first worked at Cline Library as student employees, continue to contribute to the library’s success today.
Library Coordinator Sr. Trey Rankine, whose work dates back to his first student employee position in 1990, shared that while attention to detail and the drive to connect the user with the right resource have always been mainstays, customer service has taken on increasing importance over the years.
“When I started, we had one computer, and it was, ‘Here’s how to work on the computer,’” Trey said. “Now we focus more on customer service – in person and online. We want a student employee to have a good equilibrium – someone who can be pleasant with the person who is nice to them and professional with the person who isn’t.”
Rankine credits a supervisor from his student employee days for advice he took to heart.
“After a supervisor noticed that I wanted to do everything myself, he told me I need to be more open and more willing to ask for help,” Trey said. “Being flexible is something I had to learn, and I learned it here.”
Head of User Services and Experience Andrew See shared that one of his takeaways from his time as a student employee, which dates back to 1994, was “the sense of a ladder of responsibility.”
“There was always a professional trajectory for students to advance in the library, and I took advantage of that,” Andrew said. “Through my work – starting as a student at a circulation desk – I found I had a bona fide skill set for librarianship, and I eventually went on to get a master’s [in library science] because of it.”
Library student employees may also have opportunities for autonomous work and independent thought that allow them to grow their capacity for leadership – sometimes out of necessity.
“Working in a library, especially in a public service position, communication is a skill that is honed dramatically,” Andrew said. “It’s a very user-centric line of work, so being able to communicate effectively and understand your user’s needs and design strategies to meet those needs is important.”
Andrew reflected on how increasingly rapid technological changes have impacted his work since his student employee days.
“I also learned the importance of being change–ready and having the ability to quickly learn and apply different systems, technologies and services,” he said. “That was part of the student experience then, and I think it still is now.”
Give Now to Invest in Current and Future Students
Libraries will remain a fundamental connection for students in a university environment. Regardless of students’ discipline of study, year in school, or whether they are taking their classes online or in person, the library will engage them throughout their higher education experience and prepare them for an informed future.
NAU student and 2024 Reilly intern Alex Williams led the development the "TIMBER! Northern Arizona's Logging Legacy" exhibit on display in Special Collections and Archives through July 2.
Show your support for the future of libraries and learners by giving to one of the funds highlighted above or another library-related fund, such as the Cline Library Innovation Fund.
