Week of Students: Mandy Lowell

After a brief pause to observe an important anniversary yesterday, we’re back to celebrating this first week of classes by taking a closer look at a few of the wonderful student (undergraduate and graduate, Duke and non-Duke) employees who help make this place run. We wouldn’t know what to do without them, and we’d have a lot less fun, too. Thanks, y’all!

What’s the typical day for a student worker in the RBMSCL? That’s a tough question to answer, because almost every day is different. You could find me running around the stacks, pulling and reshelving items. I could also be making a shelf list, repacking a collection into new containers, cleaning and straightening bound manuscripts, or assisting patrons at the front desk. Most days, I spend a lot of time in the elevator.

I have worked as a student assistant in Special Collections since May of 2010. Before I began working here, I was a frequent visitor, using Duke’s collection of early English manuscript facsimiles. Coming to the reading room was always a treat, both because of the wonderful environment and the work that I was able to do there, and sometimes I wished I could get into the stacks, just once, and conduct my own little treasure hunt. Now that I work here, I do this on an almost daily basis, but the library has never really lost its mystique for me.

I love working here in part because I love being surrounded by history. I enjoy having regular access to a part of Duke of which so few students ever see the inside. Also, there are the wonderful people on the staff of the RBMSCL and University Archives. They have always made me feel like a vital part of the team, rather than that annoying kid who runs around underfoot.

Students, if you’re looking for a job on campus, I encourage you to check for openings at the RBMSCL. Tell them Mandy sent you.

Post contributed by Mandy Lowell, Research Services student employee.