Yale Library’s graduating student employees will leave a lasting legacy in the stacks

More than 100 students in the graduating Class of 2025 have worked as student employees in Yale Library departments across campus. As these students assist in diverse library operations in a number of ways—including in digital imaging services, curatorial work, collections maintenance, social media efforts, StatLab consulting, and more—they develop new social and professional skills that not only enhance their experience while at Yale but also benefit them after graduation, too.

Yale Library honors its graduating student employees each year with an end-of-semester ceremony that takes place during National Student Employment Week. This year, the library’s celebration of student workers will be held on April 16, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Memorabilia Room of Sterling Memorial Library. 

Each of the students will be presented with a specially designed bookplate, inscribed with their name and graduating year. The personalized bookplate is placed in a favorite book of the student’s choice, which then becomes part of the Yale Library’s permanent collection.

The Class of 2025 has selected books that ranged widely in topic, title, and time period—from Caroline Zubler’s selection of “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott and Gavin Guerrette’s choice of “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men” by James Agee and Walker Evans, to “Rules of Civility” by Amor Towles, chosen by Ellie Atlee, “The Poppy War Trilogy” by R. F. Kuang, chosen by Abigail Smith, and the vocal score of “Sweeney Todd” by Stephen Sondheim, chosen by Jacob Latts, a student worker in Gilmore Music Library.

This year, as he has in the past, letterpress printer Jesse Marsolais, a faculty member in the Yale School of Art, will print the more than 100 student bookplates, which he also designed. Christopher Killheffer, director of Library Collection Services and Operations, will coordinate the personalization of the students’ selected books. 

Students who are interested in working in the library can log in to the JobX portal in late August to view and apply for paid library positions that open in the fall. Learn more about student jobs and about working at Yale Library. Students can also learn more about student employment opportunities at the Undergraduate Academic Fair, which will be held in September.

—Deborah Cannarella