This student employee feature was posted in February 2011, and some details of library services may have changed. Please contact a librarian or stop by any desk in the library if you have any questions!
The librarians and staff here feel like we’re pretty lucky to work with some of the brightest, most inquisitive, hardest working students on campus, and to show our appreciation we’re highlighting some of our student workers here. A few weeks ago we introduced you to Noelle and Selina. Now, meet Teresa and Mindi:
Name: Teresa Nguyen
Year: Sophomore
Major: Mechanical Engineering major and Math minor
Hometown: Baldwin Park, CA
Where do you work in the library / What do you do here?
Media and Reserves: I check out materials to patrons, help professors put materials on reserves and answer any questions that patrons have about the library
Circulation Shelving: I make sure books lying around the library are picked up and put away and that all books are sorted and organized by correct call number
What do you like best about working in the library?
Every day is full of new and interesting people in the library and it’s fun to help people out because it’s like new people have to ask about a secret code in order to use the library.
Do you ever shush anyone?
Not really but if people are very loud and inconsiderate, I like to give them a mean look and hopefully they can feel it and stop being rude.
Do you have any insider library info that our readers might not know about?
Media and Reserves is not only full of materials for classes but also hold a lot of fun movies that you can borrow and watch in the library for three hours. Get a group of friends one day and just relax and watch a movie in one of the media viewing rooms.
What is the last book that you enjoyed?
I haven’t really had the time to read any books recently but I always try to reread the Harry Potter series and the Chronicles of Narnia.
What is the strangest encounter with a library patron or request you’ve received?
The strangest requests are always about telling other people to be quiet. One time there were people filming on the third floor and this woman was reading by the fireplace and asked if we could get them to be quiet and in the end she was the one who got them to be quiet.
Favorite place to study in the library?
The study rooms are great because I can draw on the walls.
Anything else to add?
Take advantage of all of the services that the library offers to you for free! You can check out twenty or more books at once, check out fun movies to watch in the library, request books from other libraries if our copies are checked out, and so much more.
Media and Reserves student supervisor Zakiya Hasan shared this information about working with Teresa: She is very good, nice, dependable, and punctual. She can finish any work project without any direct/constant supervision, and she is very funny too. She is a very very gooooooooooood student assistant, and we all like her a lot.
Next up is Mindi, who you might have met behind the Information Desk. Mindi’s supervisor, Susan Gardner (Head of Reference and Instruction) shared this about her: Mindi is a ray of sunshine at the Information Desk: dynamic, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and always cheerful. She has a strong customer service orientation and really goes out of her way to help people, no matter what! We love that she follows up with us when she doesn’t know how to answer a question, and that she always wants to learn the answer. We knew she was a keeper when the question of dependability came up during her initial interview, and Mindi said the only “flake” she likes is a snowflake.
Name: Mindi Catala
Year: Sophomore
Major: Biology
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Where do you work in the library / What do you do here? I work at the information desk. I help patrons with research and tech questions.
What do you like best about working in the library?
I love interacting with people to help them get their jobs done. Our library is fantastic and has amazing views both day and night. Additionally, our library is named after an alum who has lived out our school’s mission statement to encourage learning, educate the whole person, and engage in the service of faith and promotion justice. William H. Hannon grew up during the Great Depression and did not have money for college. Mr. Hannon and his mother asked the President of LMU if he could be admitted with the intention that he would pay back the school for his education once he got a job. He stuck to his word and became successful while working with Fritz B. Burns and Associates, a real estate company that built and sold homes to GIs returning from the war. They continued to develop surrounding cities in Southern California. Mr. Hannon formed his own philanthropy, the William H. Hannon foundation, that supports Catholic schools, missions, hospitals, and other public and private nonprofit organizations. Here at Loyola, we have Hannon apartments, the Hannon field, and this beautiful, innovative library that provides patrons with access to information and technology. Every time I see our library, I get reminded of what LMU is all about, and from this, I draw my daily inspiration to strive harder.
Do you ever shush anyone? Not really, since I work on the level where noise is allowed.
Do you have any insider library info that our readers might not know about?
We can do double sided printing from the mac and windows side. It costs the same as one page and saves paper.
What is the last book that you enjoyed?
The Power of Charm, by Brian Tracy and Ron Arden (librarian note: e-book available here!)
What is the strangest encounter with a library patron or request you’ve received?
One time a visitor asked for help because she was afraid that she was being stalked.
Favorite place to study in the library?
In the study rooms! Writing on the walls is my favorite way to study. I also like the area on the second level, behind the main stacks that overlooks the ocean.
Anything else to add? WOO LMU!