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| Vol. 18, No. 35 | June 24, 1999 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 35 | June 24, 1999 |
Student library assistants leave more than memories behind when they graduate. Each senior is invited to choose a book from among the library's recent acquisitions, and a bookplate with his or her name and year of graduation is placed in their selection. The books are displayed in the library and at the annual Student Appreciation Reception in May, which honors all student assistants but especially graduating seniors.
"We couldn't run the library without student assistants, and this is a way of thanking them," Susan Brynteson, library, said.
"As I pointed out at the reception, during 1998-99, student assistants worked over 66,000 hours and performed a variety of necessary jobs- shelving, assisting users at service desks, checking books in and out, preparing books with property stamps and call numbers, preparing documents in word processing and other tasks. Students also learn skills on the job that will serve them well in the future-organization, time management, diplomacy, dependability and, of course, increased knowledge of library resources and services."
The students' choices reveal a wide range of interests. Emily Fireovid, HN '99, chose Nutritional Oncology, edited by David Heber, while Joslyn Kelly, AS '99, chose Flemish Art and Architecture by Hans Vlieghe. Other books ranged from baseball to chemistry to economics.
Julie Brewer, library, who coordinates library student employment for the more than 200 student assistants, said, "The students enjoy the opportunity of personally selecting books that reflect their interests. The ones they select are usually connected with their majors or outside interests. As employees, they have access to the receiving areas next to the loading docks to make their selections. They are impressed with this behind-the-scenes look at all that goes into processing new acquisitions."
The annual reception is an occasion for administrators, students and their supervisors to get together informally, according to Judy Hamm, library, who organizes the event. It's a time to say good-bye to seniors, and to recognize those students with extensive service records, she said.
This year, Radhika Rao, AS '99, received the 1999 Student Service Award for working more than 2,400 hours since the 1997 spring semester. 
