The UC Berkeley Library is not just a birthplace for knowledge — it is also a testing ground. Through the Library’s Work+Learn program, hundreds of students find jobs in the Library’s halls, where their unique skills and backgrounds help serve the campus community in new ways. Student employees fulfill key roles, from cataloging foreign language materials to producing podcasts and videos. Support Berkeley students.
Surrounded by rare materials in the Earth Sciences and Map Library, geography student and map aficionado Fernando Navarro ’18 is right at home. As a Geographic Information Systems student assistant, Navarro digitized maps, coupling them with coordinates, and entered them into a database used by researchers around the globe. Read more about Fernando on the Library News site. ▶
As a data analyst in the Social Research Library, Charis Chan ’20 helps librarians clean up — and learn from — data related to journal collections, instruction trends, Library space usage, and more. On the job, Chan uses tools such as Python and Tableau to create data visualizations, key experience for her dream job in data science. Read more about Charis on the Library News site. ▶
‘The coolest part of my job is actually applying what I learned in the courses I’m taking and directly, the day after, being able to use it in my job.’
— Charis Chan ’20, data science
In Moffitt Library’s Digital Imaging Lab, Youmna Rabie ’20 helped digitize a trove of precious, damaged wax cylinders. Stored on those wax cylinders — the precursor to vinyl — are the sacred songs and voices of Native Americans in California, recorded by anthropologists a century ago. Read more about Youmna on the Library News site. ▶
‘When I think about it, I just come in, click a few buttons, and type some code. But then I see it all working, I get to see the effects it has. … I’m proud of what I’ve put forward. It’s making a difference.’
— Youmna Rabie ’20, computer science, economics
Sofia Daniels ’21 brings her passion for documentaries to the Library, where she creates visual stories as a video intern for the communications office. Mastering not only sound equipment and editing software, but also the art of interviewing, Daniels helps broadcast the collections, people, and ideas at the heart of the Library. Read more about Sofia on the Library News site. ▶