Alison and David
Spring 2006 Interns



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Kit

Allison

Maricela

Brenna

Jessica

Dimitri

Laila

Kit

Krystal

Chris

Jessica

Alison

Christy

David

Sarah

Leila

Cristina

Jennifer


 

Brett

Michi, Alexis and Anil

Spring 2005 Interns

Meet the
Mellon Library Interns

Mellon internships at the Occidental College Library are designed to give undergraduate students, especially those from diverse backgrounds, a chance to explore the profession of librarianship through projects, readings, field trips, and collaboration with Occidental librarians.  Interns work on projects of their own choosing, and often find ways to incorporate their own interests into their work at the library.  

Spring interns work 10-12 hours a week, while summer interns work full-time.  The summer internships, which also involve several mini-seminars on various topics in librarianship in addition to project work, offer a more in-depth look at the profession.  However, spring internships offer a great overview of what its like to work in a library.  

The Mellon grant also enables the library to offer a yearlong, full-time Library Associate position to a recent graduate.  The Library Associate has the opportunity to work on projects throughout the library, and is responsible for coordinating Mellon programs .

Summer Interns 2009

Veronica Gonzalez, '10, Sociology

I decided to become a Mellon intern in hopes of getting a better understanding about librarianship as a career, the issues revolving around libraries, library services, and libraries in general.

My first project as a Mellon intern was working with Emily Bergman on collection development. As a Sociology major, I chose to focus on books pertaining to crime, deviance, and violence in different societies. I developed a list of recommended books for the library to purchase, and a rather short list on books in the library’s collection that should be removed.

As a second project, I worked on a BIG READ program, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. The BIG READ program – a program dedicated to promoting an interest in literature and the arts through community events and involvement – held at Occidental, will focus on Oxy alumnus and California poet, Robinson Jeffers, and is titled “Robinson Jeffers: The Ecologies of Poetry”.  For this project, I worked with Dale Stieber, Emily Bergman, and my fellow interns. I helped to contact community and campus partners to motivate them to participate in our BIG READ program, put together contact lists, attended various meetings with potential partners, and help put together informational materials about the BIG READ program for a community partner meeting.

My third project was a research-based presentation about the services of public libraries in the 21^st century. I looked into the role of public libraries and the way they are reinventing their services to accommodate the public and the recent changes in technology.

A fourth, and smaller project that I worked on was doing some research on local Southern California artists that could potentially showcase their work in the “Artists Alley” of the library (located in the second floor, old wing). I worked with Lindsey Reno for this project.

Spring Interns 2009

Summer Interns 2008

Spring Interns 2008

Dimitri Groce '11, Undeclared

As my first project with the Mellon Internship, I am working with John Dobbins to test the interfaces of our databases within the Oxy library website.  We will be going about this through drafting up a new usability test, and testing participants to understand their feelings about the online resources that we offer, as well as any improvements they or their session suggest.  My first step in going about this is researching not only how to put together an efficient usability test, but also how other acclaimed scholarly institutions put together their database resources.  I was particularly attracted to this project because I was interested in getting a better understanding of library resources to assist in my reference abilities, as well as being immersed in something information technology based, but with an emphasis on student interaction with online resources. 

Laila Tootoonchi '10, Art History

As a Mellon Intern, I have been given an incredible opportunity to learn about librarianship as a career, perfect research help methods, as well as work on a special project. This spring, my fellow interns and I get to participate in curriculum sessions taught by Occidental librarians that focus on the multifaceted topics associated with library work, such as the global information environment and acquisition and collection development. In addition to the curriculum, I work at the reference desk every week, applying the skills and techniques of successful research methods that I have been learning since my internship. My special project this semester is working alongside Dale Steiber, the Special Collections librarian, on documenting, photographing, and eventually digitizing all Occidental-owned artwork into an accessible database; a very exciting task as I am an Art History major.

Kit Warchol '10, ECLS

For my central project this spring, I work with Dale Stieber in Special Collections. Laila Tootoonchi, a fellow Mellon intern, is working with me. We will spend the semester measuring, organizing, and documenting the Occidental Library art collection, particularly the miscellaneous art stored throughout the library. Once we have categorized the art, we photograph and digitalize it. Over the next few months, we will spend several hours a week in a dusty basement vault, organizing art which has not been documented since the 1970s. This allows Special Collections to catalog its art collection, making it more accessible to librarians, faculty, and students. We will also spend the semester learning more about the different collections within the Special Collections department including its miniature and artists' books, rare and first edition detective novels, and a comprehensive collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia.

Along with our main projects, Spring 2008 Mellon interns have the opportunity to pursue several other aspects of library science. We spend two hours a week working at the Reference Desk, giving us the opportunity to work personally with students. We were given hours of reference training so we could understand how to use different research tools, from internet databases to microfiche. We also take weekly courses, given by Occidental librarians, on librarianship. Finally, we are working with Emily Bergman as a library focus group, convening several times this semester to give input and suggestions about how the Occidental Library can be a successful campus presence.

Summer Interns 2007

Nick Velkavrh '08, History

This summer, I have been working on several projects. First off, I am working with Emily Bergman, our interim College Librarian and head of Collection Development, on a project in which I am analyzing the Library’s holdings in Latin American history. I have been reviewing our sources that deal with Cold War Latin America, finding what needs to be weeded out, and also making recommendations on what should be added to make our collections as up to date as possible.

For my second project, I am planning and designing an exhibition in coordination with our Special Collections Librarian, Dale Stieber. The exhibit will center on banned books, with an emphasis on the works of William Shakespeare. There will be both a virtual and physical component to the exhibition and it will be launched to coincide with Banned Books Week at the end of September, an annual event by the American Library Association that celebrates the freedom to read and express opinions without censorship.

Lastly, I am conducting research for a project regarding federated searching, an emerging technology that enables users to search multiple, independent databases and search engines at once. I am learning about the benefits and drawbacks of such services by studying the implementations of federated search platforms in a few academic libraries around the country. I also hope to measure the usability of a few of the more popular search platforms with Oxy students and, combined with my research, draw conclusions on whether such technologies are appropriate for the Occidental College Library.

The Mellon Internship has been a rich growing experience, which will help guide me in my future career choices.

Rosalie Miletich '08, ECLS

As a Mellon intern, I am continually learning about the inner mechanics of our library and the members of the Occidental community that keep it running smoothly. Through weekly informational sessions, I have been introduced to the Oxy librarians as they describe the many facets of librarianship, the history of the field, and breaking issues in the vocation.

An important aspect of the summer internship is the development of several independent projects; I am currently working on three.

First, I am working with Emily Bergman, Interim Library President and head of Collections Development, to expand the library’s holdings in the field of Women’s studies. Specifically, I am consulting scholarly journals and core lists to investigate valuable new works from women of diverse backgrounds and compiling a list of recommended purchases.

Second, Dale Stieber, our Special Collections librarian, is training me in archival practices to create a finding aid for a relatively small collection. I am creating an inventory for the Pacific Coast Labor School collection, which contains materials from summer curriculum sessions for industrial workers held from 1935 through 1941 at Occidental and Berkeley. Our goal is to make this collection a usable resource for researchers at Oxy as well as those from other institutions. 

Finally, my largest project is making the Women’s Center library a usable resource for both center residents and Oxy students at large. I am currently surveying past and future residents to determine their expectations and goals for the library. I am concerned with making this facility both inviting and usable as a collection of resources as well as a space for studying. In addition, I am focusing on developing the Women’s Center collection itself.

This internship has narrowed my career focus and exposed me to valuable opportunities and fascinating people. Overall, it is an illuminating and challenging experience that I recommend to anyone interested in what goes on in the Oxy library, careers in librarianship, and libraries in general.

Rebecca Nashleanas '09, Diplomacy & World Affairs

For my internship I am working on four projects. My main project has been creating an intranet for library staff. I’ve been working with John Dobbins, Electronic Resources Facilitator, conducting interviews of the library staff to see what they need from an intranet. I will also be helping Dale Stieber, Special Collections Librarian, to put together the Young Exhibit. To go along with this project I have collected the books that the Young family gave the college to catalogue them as the Young Social Studies Collection. A smaller project I’ve been working on is creating a pathfinder for Diplomacy and World Affairs. Marla Peppers, Head of Library Information Services, helped me edit and organize the pathfinder. My final project is working on a language page for the library website. With help from John de La Fontaine, Systems/Interlibrary Loan Librarian, I have been able to explore how to create a web page. The main goal of this site is to help students gain easy access to the various materials we have in various languages. 

I have enjoyed many aspects of this internship. One of my favorite parts was the hands on experience. I held a small ancient clay tablet from special collections while learning about the history of communication. This amazing educational experience showed me how much of the library I had never explored. However, the part that I learned the most from was interacting with the librarians. Everyone works so hard to make materials accessible to students. They are so helpful and enthusiastic which makes for a wonderful atmosphere. The internship really helped me to see that there are many facets within the library profession, and I look forward to exploring them further.

Spring Interns 2007

Nick Velkavrh '08, History
For my internship, I have been working on three projects. First of all, I am in the process of creating a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for the Library website. This project involves collecting information from the website and various sources within the Library, compiling it into a concise and readable page so that patrons can quickly find the information they are looking for, and testing the page’s ease of use.

Additionally, I am constructing research pathfinders for two CSP classes, “CSP 50 - War, Culture, and Society in the Modern United States” and “CSP 55 - Politics and Memory: European Fascism in the 20th Century.” This allows me to demonstrate the web design and reference skills I’ve cultivated through my internship and past library work experience and apply them to make a contribution to the Oxy community.

And lastly, I am working in coordination with Emily Bergman, our interim College Librarian and head of Collection Development, on a project analyzing the Library’s collections in modern Latin American history, with an emphasis on the Mexican Revolution. I will be reviewing the current books we have, and assessing what is missing from the collection. Additionally, I will be making suggestions on books for the Library to purchase.

The Mellon Internship has given me the opportunity to enhance my knowledge of librarianship as a profession. I’ve greatly enjoyed working with our Library’s staff and now have more insight into what librarians actually do.

Lucy Grace Campbell, History and American Studies
My work as an intern has largely been divided between two projects. Under Emily Bergman's direction I have been analyzing and developing the library's collection on America in the 1960s. While this will hopefully be of use to future students and staff in the library, it has also given me the opportunity to learn some technical aspects of librarianship and helped develop my research skills. I have also been working with Dale Stieber in Special Collections on a project about the college founder William Stewart Young and his family. After cataloguing the college's Young collection, I am now recommending items for a display in the refurbished reading room, due to be unveiled in the Autumn. Through my work I have learned a great deal about the libraries closed stacks and how to catalogue and locate materials.

My time in the library has been an eye opening and fascinating experience, but the most rewarding aspect is knowing I have contributed something to the college and the library. It is undoubtedly the most interesting job I have ever had, and the most enjoyable.

Daisy Larios '07, History
My main project this semester has been to look into creating an oral history program here at Oxy.  For this I am working in conjunction with Dale Stieber, the Special Collections Librarian.  This project requires extensive research on Occidental’s history and on oral history programs at other institutions.  Additionally, I am in the process of identifying potential interviewees and of making sure to involve all of the interested parties on campus.  From there I will develop a proposal for establishing an oral history program at Oxy, making sure to address our need to preserve our institutional history yet remain committed to our unique mission.

A smaller project that I will tackle at the end of the semester is a collection development project regarding nineteenth century Mexico. I am writing my comps on this topic and this has given me the opportunity to begin analyzing our current collection.  From there it is a matter of analyzing the appropriateness and necessity of titles to be added to our collection.  I hope to present to Emily Bergman, the College Librarian, a list of recommended titles for purchase by the end of my internship.

Summer Interns 2006

Krystal Gibson '08, Psychology

Christopher Bulock '07, Cognitive Science

Jessica Low '07, ECLS

The best part of this internship has been getting to learn more about and use the library’s resources through the instructional sessions and interaction with the librarians.  One of my projects, for example, involved the library’s Special Collections, a part of the library I previously was unaware of.  Not only did I get to see and use everything from illuminated manuscripts to the Risdon (Abraham Lincoln collection), but I am creating a miniature book exhibit that will be on display in the fall.  Part of that process involved cataloging the Francis J. Weber collection of miniature books.  Mark Braden, catalog librarian, showed me how to use our cataloging systems, which helped me not only learn about the technical aspect of libraries, but to familiarize myself with the books.

In addition, I am working on a collection development project of educational materials pertaining to teaching literature to strengthen the curriculum and information that students in the education department can use.  I also created a Sociology pathfinder for Sociology majors or minors.  Finally, I am writing a proposal concerning a permanent home for the juvenile collection due to my interest in becoming a public children’s or elementary school librarian.  I knew that I wanted to work in some way with children’s materials, but wasn’t sure of how to do that in an academic setting.  Several librarians helped me to formulate the project proposal. 

Spring Interns 2006

Alison Reed '08, ECLS

This internship provides a unique outlet for expression of my personal interests and development of my professional skills. I highly enjoy interacting and collaborating with the wonderful staff here at the library while working on two exciting projects.  My first project pertains to collection analysis and development.  I chose to focus on supplementing our collection of feminist literary criticism & anthologies by and about American female poets.  I am gathering ideas from online core lists of materials, bibliographies and personal experience.  Emily Bergman gave me the tools to conduct proper analysis; now I am working to produce a succinct and useful list of recommended titles by the end of the semester.  Women's studies and American literature intersect in nuanced ways; I aim to strengthen our American literature collection in a broader sense through the specific voice of female poets. 

My second project relates to special collections.  Our librarians and interns have recently developed an online archive of Japanese American Relocation during WWII.  To supplement Oxy’s database of letters, papers, brochures and other primary source materials, Dale Stieber, the Special Collections Librarian, and I will be interviewing Ted Tajima. Tajima is an Oxy alum (’46) and accomplished journalism teacher currently living in Altadena.  His insights into Japanese American incarceration and student relocation will strengthen the depth of information available to the public.  This project involves extensive research of Occidental's history, Tajima's background, and wartime history, as well as interview preparation and execution.  On April 21st, Dale and I will interview Ted and gain insight into both the often marginalized account of Japanese American internment and the historical circumstances surrounding his fascinating life.

Christina Nakada '08, Film Studies

I’ve been working with Dale Steiber, the Special Collections librarian, to create a digital archive of artwork owned by the college. Most of the artwork has never been catalogued before so we have been working hard to make a comprehensive archive. We have also been assessing the condition of the pieces so damaged artwork can be conserved. My background in art history has been of great use when describing the images. I’ve learned how to properly catalogue the pieces that make up the collection as well as establishing the beginnings of the digital collection. We’ve been experimenting with different conditions on how to photograph the artwork to produce the optimum results.

I’ve really enjoyed learning about the collections within the library’s Special Collections. It ‘s hard work to catalogue each and every piece, especially when most of them were gifts to the college with no additional information. I look forward to contributing as much as I can to the digital archive.

David Martinez '09, Women's/Gender Studies, History
This spring semester I am focusing on two major projects for the library. The first is expanding and developing the library's collection of women's studies/gender studies materials. Primarily I am focusing on bringing new resources that will focus on women of color and issues of diversity with relation to gender studies. This task requires me to first evaluate the existing collection in the library and then search on the web and through catalogs for new works which would strengthen our collection. My second project is creating a new display for the library that will be located next to the circulation desk. This display case will focus on the contributions of women to the arena of social justice, focusing on women of color. I am hoping to complete and present the display within the month of April. With this display, I hope to expand the minds of our community in exposing the indispensable contributions that women of color had made to the history of this nation. The most enticing aspect of this internship is learning about the librarian profession. There is so much to learn and accomplish in the field which leads to a considerable amount of time and energy put forth by the staff. I know that this internship will greatly impact my knowledge and appreciation of the library, its staff and its contributions to this community.

Library Associate 2005-2006

Sarah Lehmann '05, History

As a former Mellon summer intern, I am happy to be back at library as the 2005-2006 Library Associate.  What I appreciate most about the Mellon library internships is the fact that they are specifically designed to provide students and recent graduates with exposure to the field of librarianship.  In many fields, interns struggle to see beyond their often menial tasks into what the profession is "really like."  Mellon interns, however, are given the freedom and encouragement to design and participate in meaningful projects which are both of interest to them and beneficial to their libraries.  As the Library Associate at Occidental, I am gaining a breadth and depth of experience that I know will prove invaluable to me as I continue to pursue a career as a librarian.  I like the fact that I can work on projects in many library departments.  This semester for example, I am coordinating student staffing and training for the reference desk, serving as the collection development liaison for Women's Studies, and working on an archival project in Special Collections, among other things.  I plan on entering graduate school for library science in the Fall of '06, and I look forward to a challenging and varied career as a librarian.

Library Associate 2004-2005

Leila Pazargadi '04, English and Comparative Literary Studies

The Library Associate position is unique in that allows me to work in numerous aspects of librarianship.  My work includes collection development projects, outreach programming, book weeding and exhibition design, amongst other duties.  In addition to project work, I help students and professors find research for their subject area as part of the Reference team.  In this position,  the associate has a chance to develop and refine organizational, researching, teaching and leadership skills.  I have also team-taught bibliographic instruction courses to core and upper-division students in order to inform them about available researching resources.  In the process of teaching, I created with Acquisitions Librarian and Mellon Campus Coordinator, Marla Peppers, a CSP 51 Pathfinder for the "Regimes of Race" core class in the hopes of making relevant information more accessible to interested students.  I also created an ECLS pathfinder for for English and Comparative Literary Studies majors.

I have found that by working behind the scenes at Oxy's library, I have witnessed a community of hard-working and dedicated individuals who collectively operate a fully-functioning library.  This one-year position is ideal for those who want to experience what the library is all about and what skills are necessary to help others in academia.  Through this position, not only have I gained a better understanding of my peers and their academic needs, but I comprehend the skills and knowledge necessary for students, professors and myself, to find answers to broader queries.

Summer Interns 2005

Check out Summer Interns' Re-imagining Diversity Display
Cristina Bracamonte '06, Kinesiology

During the Mellon internship I enjoyed opportunities to explore my academic interests as well as collaborate with others on library projects.  It was motivating to work with my fellow interns on the creation of a diversity pathfinder to be used as an introductory research tool for academics and as a resource for the Occidental community.  Also as a part of this project we designed a diversity display in the library highlighting various resources that address diversity that are available to Occidental students.  Due to the collaborative nature of this project I learned how creative and energizing a united effort can be.  In addition, I created a Kinesiology pathfinder in order to help students access resources related to this interdisciplinary major.  One of the highlights of the internship was working alongside librarians and interns to address the ongoing concerns of space planning and library policy.  Throughout the internship I appreciated learning about the many facets of librarianship directly from librarians as well as by visiting different types of libraries.  Best of all, the Mellon internship challenged some of my previously held notions of my academic interests and career options.

Jennifer Masunaga '06, ECLS
I found that the Mellon summer internship to be a continuation of the wonderful, intense and eye opening experience that is Occidental College. I went into the internship with a career in librarianship already in mind, and if anything has only strengthened my resolve. I worked on a number of group and individual projects, ranging in size and difficulty. I contributed to the improvement of the library building itself, offering my input on building usage and changes in policy. Leadership was largely emphasized in the internship by having each intern head a group project. As project leader of an online research tool and display regarding topics of diversity, I found my job enjoyable thanks to my wonderful co-workers. My fellow interns are wonderful people to work with and showed me how fantastic collaborative efforts can be with the right people, the proper atmosphere and a large sense of humor. Moreover, the internship coordinators, guest lectures and library associate were intelligent exciting individuals and the best mentors a intern could hope for. On and the field trips were a plus too!

I was also a Mellon Library Intern in the Spring of 2004 and worked closely with late Special Collections Librarian, Mike Sutherland, on the cataloguing and computer digitalization of letters written by Japanese American students at Occidental. I was fortunate enough to read and handle the actual letters, while learning what it takes to be a Special Collection’s Librarian.  Additionally, I also helped in library acquisitions as I reviewed books relating to multiculturalism, ultimately, recommending a collection development list of books recommended for library purchase. The internship was a great insight into two different jobs within librarianship and I had a wonderful time working with the library staff.

Brett VanBenschoten '06, Anthropology
The Mellon summer internship gave me opportunities to explore several different aspects of librarianship, ultimately cementing my decision to pursue a Master’s in Library Science before completing my Ph.D. in Anthropology (specializing in mythology and legends). Rather than being a career change, the summer program showed me that the library could be a gateway to my other interests and a chance to explore nearly all of my varied interests in academia. During my internship I worked with my wonderful teammates to help develop a new food and drink policy for the library, established a new lounge/eating area for students with few other places to relax, created new research pathfinders, learned HTML and javascript programming, researched and ultimately will help implement a new virtual reference service for Oxy students, faculty, and staff, visited and learned about several specialized libraries around Los Angeles, and worked with the library staff at Oxy to get an idea of just what library work entails, from acquisitions and development to technical services to administration. The experience has been more than enriching for me – it’s been supportive, educational, exciting, and downright fun.

Spring Interns 2005

Michi Abe '05, Asian Studies and ECLS

I am currently working on a project digitizing a collection of materials relating to Japanese American Oxy students who were relocated to other colleges during WWII with the help of then President Remsen Bird in order to avoid living in concentration camps like their families.  My work consists primarily of going through the various materials the school has collected (letters, pamphlets, government documents, newspapers) and scanning and cataloging them to make an online resource available for researchers.  Having the chance to work firsthand with these documents and being exposed to the process and wide array of components necessary to organize an archive has made this project very fulfilling.

Alexis Harasemovitch Truax '05, History

As a Mellon intern I worked on two main projects.  The first was helping with the creation of a digital archive of the papers and letters of the Remsen Bird, who was the president of Occidental during the WWII Japanese American internment.  In this project I worked on many aspects, including everything from scanning the letters into our online database, to reading and describing the letters, to creating subject headings, and cataloguing.  I was specifically responsible for working with the Internment Camp Newspapers in the archive.  Working directly with these newspapers gave me experience in description, cataloguing and preservation. I also worked on the art inventory project, specifically to identify and label the art in the Library.  This was a project I was able to create myself, evidence of the wonderful flexibility that the internship offers. I found the staff to be extremely responsive to interns’ interests and needs— they truly understand what a valuable learning experience the internship can be.  Working as a Mellon intern has allowed me to experience many aspects of librarianship and has been a wonderful experience which has not only been enjoyable, but has also clarified my goals for the future.

Anil Sindhurakar '06, Biochemistry

As a Mellon Intern at Occidental College Library, I was given an opportunity to work chiefly on two different projects. The first project was the "Western Books Exhibition," which showcased some of the best book binding from publishers across the west coast of the United States.  Publishers included: The Getty Publications and The Bancroft Library Press, to name a couple. My role in this project included sorting and processing the books for judgment, clerical duties to ensure proper maintenance of the books and the participation in the distribution of the exhibition books to other partner libraries and institutions where they were to be displayed.  My second project focused on "Art Inventory," which is an ongoing process that involves the development of a virtual collection of major art work at Occidental College. The final goal of this project is to create a database of all major art work possessed by the Occidental College on the OASys Catalogue, so that everybody can readily access information pertinent to the works of art. Working as a Mellon Intern has been a rewarding experience for me for multiple reasons. I not only got to see how different parts of the library function, but by being amongst librarians and working with them, I realize the complexity and importance of their jobs. All in all, I found a wonderful opportunity to develop a better knowledge of librarianship, which will be undoubtedly useful for my career in any field.

Summer Interns 2004

Sarah Lehmann '05, History
As a Mellon intern, I chose to work on several smaller projects in a lot of departments.  I worked on creating an index for the Remsen Bird archive in Special Collections, a collection development project on the subject of mythology, and I created a pathfinder guide for research in history.  I also helped teach library instruction classes to the Multicultural Summer Institute (MSI) students, and worked on developing a proposal for an instant message-based reference program.