Category: General

Name: Ruth
Year: Senior
Major: Religion

Favorite Library Resource: Summit and being able to use all the electronic resources when I’m off campus!

Favorite Place to Work in the Library: North Ref

Reason you wanted to be a reference assistant: I want to utilize everything I’ve learned at Reed by helping other students with the research process!

Hardest thing about research: Narrowing unbridled interest and enthusiasm into a focused topic with a limited dataset… while maintaining the initial interest and enthusiasm.

Favorite thing about Reed: The canyon, the scrounge, and the Religion department! (Editor’s note: Ahem. I think you forgot something….)

Cool class you’ve taken at Reed: Last fall I took a 300 level English course on the literature of the Black Panther party, which changed my entire worldview. Pancho never repeats his classes, so email me if you want the syllabus!

Name: Claire
Year: Junior
Major: English

Favorite Library Resource: The thesis tower or the photographs in the Reed College Archives.

Favorite Place to Work in the Library: North Reference. The old-school green desk lamps make me feel like Elle Woods during her Harvard days. An Elle Woods with endless table space. (Editor’s note: Legally Blonde is one of my favorite guilty pleasures!)

Reason you wanted to be a reference assistant: Reed has given me a lot, so I want to pay it forward! Also, being the bookworm that I am, the library is my home away from home.

Hardest thing about research: Narrowing down my list of sources! I always want to squeeze a nugget of information from every article I find into my papers.

Favorite thing about Reed: The small student body has allowed me to jump on an amazing array of opportunities, from working on multiple publications to interning with Reed alumni in different countries. To give a less cheesy answer, living in the Spanish House on campus has been the most rewarding and ridiculously fun experience of my Reed career.

Cool thing you did during break:  My sister gifted me a collection of poems by Ada Limón over the holidays, and I raced through it (mistake! poems should be treated like a four-course meal, not a snack—don’t worry, I’m rereading it now). (Editor’s Note: Some of her poetry is available here. And the library has two of her collections: Lucky Wreck and Bright Dead Things.)

Name: Hayfa
Year: Junior
Major: Political Science

Favorite Library Resource: The New Books shelf (It has all the exciting new literature in all different fields)

Favorite Place to Work in the Library: Basement Group Study Room.

Reason you wanted to be a reference assistant: I enjoy doing research and digging for information and would like to be able to help others through this process. I also worked in the library since my first year at Reed. I learned so much about the resources available and wanted to share that knowledge with others.

Hardest thing about research: Knowing how to narrow down your topic while keeping it intriguing and interesting.

Favorite thing about Reed: The International community.

Cool thing you did this summer:  I visited couple of rivers and waterfalls in Oregon.

Name: Azrah
Year: Junior
Major: Biology

Favorite Library Resource: Everything in the Pollock Room

Favorite Place to Work in the Library: North reference most of the time and LL1 Southeast Stacks when I could use some A/C.

Reason you wanted to be a reference assistant: I want to smile at people crawling through the door.[FROM THE EDITOR: And help people do research, I think!]

Hardest thing about research: Synthesizing ideas from multiple different sources.

Favorite thing about Reed: Knowing that if I survive 4 years of it, I can do anything.

Cool thing you did this summer:  I oxidized borneol in borneone, which is camphor! It smelled wonderful.

Name: Aaron
Year: Senior
Major: English

Favorite Library Resource: Special Collections! Especially the old maps and the artists’ books.

Favorite Place to Work in the Library: When the library is crowded, the purple chairs in the New Pit. When the library is emptier, the tables in Southeast Stacks LL1.

Reason you wanted to be a reference assistant: I was curious about the work librarians do and also wanted to help Reedies!

Hardest thing about research: Being willing to exclude unnecessary information, even when it’s cool and interesting.

Favorite thing about Reed: All the dogs probably.

Cool thing you did this summer: A bunch of my friends and I put on a 1 and a half day music festival in Washington D.C. made up almost entirely of local bands.

Although Reed College Library employs the best library staff ever (!), we also depend quite heavily on our awesome student employees. A group I am especially partial to is our Reference Assistants, specially trained juniors and seniors who work on the reference desk nights and weekends helping the Reed community do anything from printing a document to finding primary sources on the history of the american west. To help you all get to know these valued employees, we’ll be posting a profile of a different reference assistant every week.

Name: Connor
Title: Lead Reference Assistant
Year: Senior
Major: American Studies-History

Favorite Library Resource: The A/C (especially in the Lobby and LL1 Southeast Stacks).

Favorite Place to Work in the Library: L2 Southeast Stacks. I enjoy the height.

Reason you wanted to be a reference assistant: I’ve worked in the Library since my first year at Reed, and I wanted to help make the Library feel accessible to all Reedies.

Hardest thing about research: Knowing when to stop.

Favorite thing about Reed: The American Studies Colloquium!

Cool thing you did this summer: Got a  Multnomah County Public Library Card. All Reed students are eligible! Ask the Ref Desk if you want help figuring out the application. [Note From Editor: Connor worked in the library all summer moving books, updating the Zotero Guide & beautifully writing the new blurbs on the main library page, among other things!]

Although Reed College Library employs the best library staff ever (!), we also depend quite heavily on our awesome student employees. A group I am especially partial to is our Reference Assistants!

Reference assistants are specially trained juniors and seniors who work on the reference desk nights and weekends helping the Reed community do anything from printing a document to finding primary sources on the Red Cross!

To help you all get to know these valued employees, we’ll be posting a profile of a different reference assistant every week.

Name: Drew
Title: Lead Reference Assistant
Year: Senior
Major: History

Thesis Topic: Um. It is the second week of classes. I don’t know yet!

Favorite Library Resource: Special Collections! (especially the old Quests)

Favorite Place to Work in the Library: My Secret Spot™ by the window (note from editor: Drew’s secret spot is no longer there. Sorry Drew!)

Reason you wanted to be a reference assistant: I remember a ref assistant helping me with a research project my freshman year and I wanted to be that for someone else.

Hardest thing about research: Coming up with a narrow enough topic to write, while still being broad enough to find enough sources.

Favorite thing about Reed: Very hard to answer. Maybe that there’s a dance based around watching Stop Making Sense twice every year.

Cool thing you did this summer: I worked for [redacted] , the best boss ever (note from editor: Drew spent the summer working with us in the library on a number of projects…One of which is code named VIRGIL. Watch this space! We will be sharing more information soon!)