Dartmouth College Library Honors Graduating Student Employees

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Since 2007, the Dartmouth College Library has been honoring its graduating student employees with the Student Library Service Bookplate Program. Graduating students who have worked for the library are invited to choose books, DVDs, CDs or other items for the library’s collections. Each item receives a bookplate that acknowledges the student’s selection and honors his or her service to the library. Students are eligible for the honor if they have worked at least two terms in any library department, including the Student Center for Research, Writing, and Information Technology (RWIT), which the library collaborates in running.

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Graduating seniors honored by the Student Library Service Bookplate Program include, from left, seated: Joseph Coleman ’11, Joyce Njoroge ’11, Angelina Laurent ’11, Cristina Pellegrini ’11, Annora Ng ’11, Michael Chen ’11, Uthman Olagoke ’11, Sarah Caroline Moore ’11. From left, standing: Megan Mercier ’11, Claire Scott ’11, Janna Fennell ’11, Christabell Makokha ’11, Mattie Govan ’11; Dean of Libraries and Librarian of the College Jeffrey Horrell; Marielle Brown ’11, Tedmond Fu ’11, Michelle Ha ’11, Henry Yan ’11, Despoina Sideri ’11, Tim Harsch ’11, Jessica Krug ’11. (photo by Joseph Mehling ’69)

“The Dartmouth College Library employs over two hundred Dartmouth students each term and these individuals are critical to the Library’s success,” says Jeffrey Horrell, dean of libraries and librarian of the college. “They help staff our circulation and information service points, their subject and language expertise support acquisitions and cataloging, and they aid students and faculty in their research. We are genuinely grateful for their dedicated work, and we are pleased to recognize and honor their service to Dartmouth by this program.”

For Christabell Makokha ’11, who worked at Baker-Berry Library’s circulation desk, the bookplate program commemorates a favorite job. “Working at the Library allowed me to interact with people from all walks of campus. As an engineering major, I had a packed schedule. I appreciated the time to talk with people when they came to check out books or ask questions about the library.”

Sydney Ribot ’11 reports, “Tutoring at RWIT has been a rewarding experience. I’ve really enjoyed meeting students from across the academic spectrum and helping them become more confident writers.” She continues, “When invited to add a book to the library, I agonized over what I might choose: a Turkish novel? Argentine political fiction? Hong Kong cinema? Ultimately I chose Friedrich Kittler’s Literature, Media, Information Systems, which I used for researching my thesis on philosophy, computers, and cultural studies. As new media studies grows at Dartmouth, Kittler is a good place to start.”

Working at the library offers students an opportunity to get to know staff behind the scenes, as Janna Fennell ’11, an assistant in the library’s resource sharing department, found out. “I was able to get to know the staff and see just how much work goes into making this library run so well! They also learned how I enjoy playing the violin and my obsession with the film Titanic. That is why I was thrilled to be part of the bookplate program—now students can enjoy the violin sheet music for James Horner’s great score.”

The library will honor nearly seventy students from the Class of 2011 with selections ranging from graphic novels, biographies, and children’s books to world literature, inspirational works, and DVDs of favorite films. Commencement week displays will celebrate honorees at all of Dartmouth’s campus libraries. Visit the Bookplate Program webpage for a full listing of students’ selections.

By Laura Braunstein

Office of Communications