Laura Lee's Fond Farewell

Laura Lee is one of our student writers for The Communicator and another one of our student assistants who has worked in Public Services and Technical Services. She's tech-savvy, a gifted writer, a hard worker, and great with helping patrons. She's leaving Chattanooga State to complete her degree in Information Systems at MTSU. We wish her the best of luck in what we know will be a successful career!

Below is an article she wrote about her experiences working as a student assistant in the library:

Fond Farewell

Working in the library at CHSCC is a challenging and varied experience. It is also highly rewarding. As the library has evolved into an “Information Commons,” the services we at the library are able to render have also rapidly evolved. In this way, the student assistants have acquired a variety of widely applicable skills that will benefit us in many ways for years to come. Some of these skills include: customer service skills, handling multiple responsibilities at one time, and working as a team. As the student assistants also cover a Tech Support desk, we have acquired technical skills involving Microsoft Office Suite, personal computer issues, navigation and troubleshooting TigerWeb and eLearn issues, and much more. The student assistants have also been well-trained in a plethora of library tasks for the Public Services desk.

The benefits of working in the library are numerous. The library staff work hard to provide an academic environment that is bountiful in resources, which help the students immensely. The library staff are respectful and extremely accommodating, both to the patrons and to the student assistants. It is clear that the student assistants are appreciated and that our work is valued. Working in a professional, challenging environment with the excellent team we have is a wonderful benefit, especially as a student who is oftentimes burdened with academic demands. The student assistants are able to meet and make connections with other students, which is another benefit of working in the library. Perhaps the most important benefit as a student assistant is the realization that we are helping other students reach their academic goals-even sometimes helping resolve issues that are standing in their way of academic success. This is incredibly rewarding.

As a student worker, I am able to empathize with the students who ask for assistance with many different issues, as I’ve oftentimes encountered these issues myself. Assisting other students exposes the student assistants to many of the common issues students face, and we are better able to help both others and ourselves. I’ve learned many things from helping other students, from exercising patience to persevering in the midst of troubles.

My time at the library is coming to a close as I will soon transfer out, but this has been the most rewarding, diverse job I have ever held. As the library services have grown and changed, it has become very clear to me that the library is an absolutely essential part of campus life, and I am lucky to have been part of the development process.

For students who are interested in applying for an assistant position, please come by the Public Services desk for an application. The library will be interviewing soon for positions starting July 1st.