Library Student Spotlight: Isabelle Seddon and Gretchen Dhuyvetter

Isabelle Seddon
Library student assistant Isabelle Seddon

This month, we are highlighting some of our library student workers and talking with them about how working at the library has prepared them for internships, jobs, and life after graduation. The library employs over 100 students each year from all majors to help maintain daily operations and provide the one-on-one service you’ve come to expect from the William H. Hannon Library. These are just a few of their stories.

Today, we spoke with Isabelle Seddon and Gretchen Dhuyvetter. Both Isabelle (pictured) and Gretchen (not pictured) have worked for the Collections Management department for all four years of their undergraduate career here at LMU! Isabelle is a marketing major and Gretchen is an animation major.

What department(s) do you work for at the William H. Hannon Library?

Isabelle: I have worked for the Collections Management Department for 4 years and this has been my only job with the library,
Gretchen: I work for Collections Management. I’ve worked there for 4 years and I haven’t had any other jobs at the library.

What skills have you learned during your time working here at the library?

Isabelle: While working here, I have learned to work independently and as a team. I’ve learned to troubleshoot, ask questions when I do not understand something and do more than what is expected of me.
Gretchen: I’ve learned a lot about administering tasks and being able to manage several projects at once.

How do you think these skills will prepare you for future jobs, internships, or just life in general?

Isabelle: This job gave me confidence to try things for myself before I ask questions, which has prepared me for people-facing positions and working independently.
Gretchen: I feel that a lot of the skills I’ve learned will help me with navigating future office groups, and helping stay organized with multiple tasks at hand.

How did working as a library assistant aid your academic growth at LMU?

Isabelle: I feel like I know the library inside and out, which makes me comfortable in researching, using the study rooms and looking at LibGuides. Without this library experience, I don’t think I would know how to even look up a book location.

What did you enjoy most (or least) about working at the library?

Isabelle: I enjoyed working with my supervisors and being able to have a hand in both the GFA system and the document delivery systems. It was never busy-work.
Gretchen: I really liked the people I worked with and how much of the admin process I got to be a part of (anything from customer service to processing materials, to archiving work, to shifting).

What are your plans after graduation?

Isabelle: My plan after graduation is to move to San Francisco and work in a marketing position for a start-up.
Gretchen: I have a job after school at Cartoon Network.

What advice about the library would you give to the incoming class of 2022?

Isabelle: My advice, besides apply to work here, would be to ask the student workers and the librarians questions because there is so much about the library that would help students in studying and researching.
Gretchen: Utilize the library! It’s helped me a lot with keeping up on other hobbies outside of academics, and I’ve found a lot of great resources.

Thank you Isabelle and Gretchen for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us! Best of luck after graduation. We hope to continue to attract dedicated and helpful students just like yourselves to work at the William H. Hannon Library next year.