Senior Spotlight - Olivia Shepherd

 

As the end of the semester approaches, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight our graduating seniors. This is a bittersweet moment for us as we will miss them terribly, but we wish them much success in the future. Their contributions to our library during their time here have been invaluable to the success of our library and appreciated more than they know. 

We thought it would be awesome for them to share a few words about their time here at the Business/SPEA Library.  

Where are you from?  Jeffersonville, Indiana
 
How long have you worked at the Business/SPEA Library?  Four Years
           
What is your position?  Senior Public Services Assistant
         
What did you enjoy about working at our library?  My favorite part about working at the Bus/SPEA Library has been making friends and interacting with coworkers.
       
What’s your degree & major?  Accounting and Information Systems
 
What are you plans after leaving IU?  Attending the MSIS Graduate Program…at IU.
 
Any farewell thoughts to share?  Make sure you put effort into getting to know your coworkers! They’re all pretty great people.
 
 

Thank you, Olivia for being a part of the Business/SPEA Library team. Congratulations & Best Wishes in the future! 
 

Senior Spotlight - Merna Botros

As the end of the semester approaches, we'd like to take the opportunity to highlight our graduating seniors. This is a bittersweet moment for us as we will miss them terribly, but we wish them much success in the future. Their contributions to our library during their time here have been invaluable to the success of our library and appreciated more than they know. 

We thought it would be awesome for them to share a few words about their time here at the Business/SPEA Library. 

Where are you from? I was born in Cairo, Egypt , but I've lived in Carmel, Indiana for most of my life.

How long have you worked at the Business/SPEA Library? I started this semester.

What is your position? Public Services Assistant

What did you enjoy about working at our library? How it allows me to have an impact in helping others (whether that be booking rooms or finding directions, etc.) while also being able to balance my time and schoolwork.

Do you have a favorite library, IU or Bloomington memory?  Meeting everybody at the library get-together that we had at the beginning of the semester.

What's your degree & major? I am a marketing major with a co-major in Digital and Social Media business applications and a minor in Psychology. 

What are you plans after leaving IU? Working full time in what I love to do.

Any farewell thoughts to share?  Although I wasn't here for long, I am glad I got to spend my last semester of IU working at the SPEA Library. Throughout this semester I've been excited to go into work and everything that the library staff does makes SPEA feel like home. Thank you to Matt, Jeri, Gary and Ilana for all you do to make working at the SPEA Library experience one of a kind!

Thank you, Merna for being a part of the Business/SPEA Library team. Congratulations & Best Wishes in the future! 

Senior Spotlight - Dharmil Budhelia

 

As the end of the semester approaches, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight our graduating seniors. This is a bittersweet moment for us as we will miss them terribly, but we wish them much success in the future. Their contributions to our library during their time here have been invaluable to the success of our library and appreciated more than they know. 

We thought it would be awesome for them to share a few words about their time here at the Business/SPEA Library.  

Where are you from?  Gujarat, India

How long have you worked at the Business/SPEA Library?  It will be 2 years this upcoming summer. 

What is your position?  Public Services Assistant. I work on Sundays.

What did you enjoy about working at our library?  Meeting a lot of new people and gossiping with Matt every Sunday.

Do you have a favorite library, IU or Bloomington memory?  I thought a small college town would be boring for 4 years, but little did I know, Bloomington ended up being one of my favorites. 

What's your degree & major?  BS in Business with Marketing, Information Systems and Business Analytics. 

What are your plans after leaving IU?  To be determined

Any farewell thoughts to share?  Thank you to Matt and Jeri and other fellow PSAs for always being supportive and flexible and making SPEA super fun to work at!

Thank you, Dharmil for being a part of the Business/SPEA Library team.  Congratulations & Best Wishes in the future! 

Senior Spotlight - Jo Barber

 

As the end of the semester approaches, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight our graduating seniors. This is a bittersweet moment for us as we will miss them terribly, but we wish them much success in the future. Their contributions to our library during their time here have been invaluable to the success of our library and appreciated more than they know. 

We thought it would be awesome for them to share a few words about their time here at the Business/SPEA Library.  

Where are you from? South Bend, Indiana

How long have you worked at the Business/SPEA Library? Since August 2022

What is your position?  Reference Assistant

What did you enjoy about working at our library?  The people! Everyone who works here is so lovely, it’s a great team.

Do you have a favorite library, IU or Bloomington memory?  Working Friday afternoons with Olivia and Lily.

What’s your degree & major?  Master of Library Science with a specialization in Children’s and Young Adult Services. 

What are your plans after leaving IU?  I’m sticking around Bloomington for another year, working at the Monroe County Public Library’s Southwest branch.
 
Any farewell thoughts to share?  It’s been such a pleasure working here! I’ll miss you all.

Thank you, Jo for being a part of the Business/SPEA Library team. Congratulations & Best Wishes in the future! 

Senior Spotlight - Caitie Gately

 

As the end of the semester approaches, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight our graduating seniors. This is a bittersweet moment for us as we will miss them terribly, but we wish them much success in the future. Their contributions to our library during their time here have been invaluable to the success of our library and appreciated more than they know. 

We thought it would be awesome for them to share a few words about their time here at the Business/SPEA Library.  

Where are you from?  I am from Michigan City, Indiana. Right on the coast of Lake Michigan!

How long have you worked at the Business/SPEA Library?  I’ve worked at the library for 3 years. I started in the Spring of 2021. 

What is your position? Senior Public Services Assistant

What did you enjoy about working at our library?  My favorite part of working at SPEA library all these years is that it is an incredibly supportive environment. Our bosses genuinely care for us as employees, as students, and as young adults figuring out how to exist in the world. It is a place filled with understanding and support, and there's always resources available to you, or at least people who are happy to help you find your starting point. I have enjoyed working with SPEA and its staff so much that I am considering working with public libraries when I move in the future! 

Do you have a favorite library, IU or Bloomington memory?  College has been a wild roller coaster of experiences and emotions. I don't have one, specific event I can point to as being my "favorite memory" because I have so many memories I cherish. I have found the love of my life, made lifelong friendships, and discovered my passions while being surrounded by likeminded people, driven to build a life for themselves. It was hard, it was messy, it was beautiful, it was profound, it was the start of the rest of my life! I think IU was a lovely place to spread my wings and become the person I always wanted to be. 

What’s your degree & major?  I have two degrees and two majors, one BA in Theatre and Drama, and a BA in Art History. My theatre degree is focused on backstage technical direction and theatrical equipment. My Art History degree is a broad spectrum.

What are your plans after leaving IU?  After leaving IU, I plan to move to Michigan and pursue a career in either museum management or theatre management.

Thank you, Caitie for being a part of the Business/SPEA Library team. Congratulations & Best Wishes in the future! 

Senior Spotlight - Creed Jones

 

As the end of the semester approaches, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight our graduating seniors. This is a bittersweet moment for us as we will miss them terribly, but we wish them much success in the future. Their contributions to our library during their time here have been invaluable to the success of our library and appreciated more than they know.  

We thought it would be awesome for them to share a few words about their time here at the Business/SPEA Library.  

Where are you from?  Speedway, Indiana

How long have you worked at the Business/SPEA Library?  I have worked at the library for 3 years.

What is your position here in the library?  Senior Public Services Assistant

What did you enjoy about working at our library?  I enjoyed working on a coding project for Ilana

Do you have a favorite library, IU or Bloomington memory? One of my favorite IU memories would be exploring campus at night with friends.

What’s your degree & major?  Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence

What are your plans after leaving IU?   Getting a job as a Software Engineer

Any farewell thoughts to share?  Good luck on finals and enjoy your summer!

Thank you, Creed for being a part of the Business/SPEA Library team. Congratulations & Best Wishes in the future!  

Senior Spotlight - Kent Meinert

 

As the end of the semester approaches, we’d like to take the opportunity to highlight our graduating seniors. This is a bittersweet moment for us as we will miss them terribly, but we wish them much success in the future. Their contributions to our library during their time here have been invaluable to the success of our library and appreciated more than they know.  

We thought it would be awesome for them to share a few words about their time here at the Business/SPEA Library.  

Where are you from?  I was born in Bloomington, IN but lived an equal amount of time in Greene County (Solsberry, IN) and Columbus, IN so I never know how to answer this question. 

How long have you worked at the Business/SPEA Library?  Almost 2 years, I started at the library August 2022, and I have worked every semester (including summers) since then. 

What is your position in the library?  Senior Public Services Assistant

What did you enjoy about working at our library?  I enjoyed everything about working at the Business/SPEA library. It is a great community of people to work with. I enjoy acting as a (small) junction between students and pursuing higher education. I have had amazing conversations with nearly everyone that I have worked with.

Do you have a favorite library, IU or Bloomington memory?  Learning about the lore of different professors, and the semester meetings where we get to all come together.

What’s your degree & major?  I am getting a bachelor of arts in Cognitive Science and Linguistics with a minor in Psychology. Also a Certificate in Neuroscience.

What are your plans after leaving IU?  

Short term: Work in a research lab gaining experience. Work on manuscript publication(s). 
Intermediate term: Start (and finish) a PhD  in a field related to the intersection between the mind and language. 
Long term: Work a career in academia (or industry) revolving around exploring and treating language disorders.  

Any farewell thoughts to share?  Working as a PSA at the Business/SPEA library, I believe it's important to recognize the profound impact it has on our personal and professional growth. As PSAs, we serve as bridges between students and the wealth of resources within the library. This role demands dynamic problem-solving, effective interpersonal communication, navigation assistance, and support in database exploration. Through these responsibilities, we enhance our abilities in communicating effectively, problem-solving, and perhaps even spatial orientation. These are indispensable skills that equip us, and others, for a world increasingly reliant on strong communication and information literacy.

Moreover, beyond skill development, the interactions with my coworkers has been profound. Our team comprises of diverse undergraduate and graduate students, each bringing unique backgrounds and experiences. Engaging with them, learning from their stories, and building connections has nurtured my empathy and understanding. In closing, I extend gratitude to the library for fostering an environment that cultivates practical skills and meaningful connections during this transformative phase of our lives. I firmly believe that if more workplaces emulated the ethos of the Business/SPEA library, the world would be a better place.

Thank you, Kent for being a part of the Business/SPEA Library team. Congratulations & Best Wishes in the future!