By Laura Braunstein
Each spring, the Dartmouth College Library honors 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 four terms in any Library department (including RWIT, the Student Center for Research, Writing, and Information Technology, which the Library collaborates in running).
The Dartmouth College Library’s Student Library Service Bookplate Program honors graduating student assistants by inviting them to select an item for the Library’s collections. (Seated, from left): Pierre Guo ’12, Jenny Thapa ’12, Carlo Pizzinelli ’12, Mary Dang ’12, Akwugo Nnama ’12, Kaitlin Renkosiak ’12, Alyssa Lindsay ’12, Sarah Aziz ’12, Peter Jankovsky ’12 (Standing, middle row, from left): Ariel Murphy ’12, S.N. Tyler Melancon ’12, Justin Bell ’12, Deep Shah ’12, Ioana Lavric ’12, McKinsey Pillsbury ’12, Dean of Libraries and Librarian of the College Jeffrey Horrell, Ryan Mei ’12, Angela Cheng ’12, Michael Appeadu ’12, Jacob Batchelor ’12, Jonathan Kessner ’12, Janet Hui ’12, Megan Johnson ’12, Paul Kihyun Kim ’12 (Standing, back row, from left): Jill Cohen ’12, Christopher Randall ’12, Jonathan Erdman ’12, James Qian ’12, Yana Ernazarova ’12, Ruotian Wang ’12. (photo by Eli Burak ’00)
Jeffrey Horrell, Dean of Libraries and Librarian of the College, notes, “The Dartmouth College Library recruits and employs several hundred Dartmouth students every term. They are critical to the programs and services of the Library. They bring language and subject expertise that support acquisitions and cataloging, help staff our circulation and information service points, and support students and faculty in their research. We genuinely appreciate their contributions and welcome the chance to recognize their service to the Library and to Dartmouth in this tangible and lasting way.”
For Ioana Lavric ’12, who worked at Baker-Berry Library’s Reserves Desk in the Orozco Room, the bookplate program commemorates a favorite job: “My favorite part about working in Reserves was meeting all sorts of people who were passionate about the Orozco murals. It was always really fun to answer their questions, to suggest an audio tour that pertained to their specific interests, and to show them the ‘secret’ test panel!”
“As a pre-medicine student, I found that working at Dana Biomedical Library immersed me in a studious environment where I could interact with medical school students,” said Michael Appeadu ’12. “The bookplate program is a great way for me to give back to the college by selecting a DVD of a favorite anime series, Samurai Champloo. Although I could have picked something more ‘educational,’ I thought that a creative and captivating animated series would provide some much-needed enchantment in the lives of Dartmouth students.”
S. N. Tyler Melancon ’12, who staffed the Information Desks in Baker-Berry Library, found himself at the center of intellectual life on campus. As Tyler reflected, “My position in the Library gave me the opportunity to experience the unique intersection of intellectual curiosity and casual human synergy. There’s something special about existing in the same space as students, faculty, and research staff, all on a quest for knowledge.”
The Library will honor over 70 students from the Class of 2012, with selections ranging from biographies, cookbooks, and children’s fiction 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’s webpage for a full listing of students’ selections from all six years of the program.