Posts tagged with Michigan Library Scholars in Blog Student Stories

During my university experience, I have been busy and rushed, running to one activity after another. I am pursuing a double major in History and Classical Archaeology while at the same time taking heavy course loads to graduate early. The Michigan Library Scholars Program was the first time I was able to slow down to study and appreciate a historical event. It gave me the opportunity to develop a lot of different skills, and gave me the confidence to move forward into the working world next year.

Working for the Elections in Africa Web Collection project as part of the Michigan Library Scholars Program helped me develop valuable skills in project management, technical web archiving abilities, and knowledge on African politics. Though there were obstacles in approaching the wide range of content and the limitations of the Archive-It tool, I greatly improved in my capacity to adapt and problem solve as a contributor to this project.

I always knew my grandfather could speak this odd sounding language, an ancient Spanish dialect that sounded like a mix of Spanish and Hebrew, both of which I was familiar with growing up Jewish in Southern Arizona. I knew that this was his first language, but I did not know much more than that about his heritage–my own heritage–until I became a part of the Michigan Library Scholars. These past few months have allowed me to learn more about my roots than I had ever imagined I would know.

Being a new transfer student, I was intimidated at first by the scope of the University of Michigan and its library, but when I heard that I could have the chance to work on an exhibit based on the Greek War of Independence through the Michigan Library Scholars Program, it was an opportunity I simply couldn't pass up. Not only was my experience one of learning, but also one of fun, as well as growth as a student and a professional.

A reflection on working in a pair on a multifaceted project in a remote setting as part of the Michigan Library Scholars internship.

Creating the "Hispanofilipino Literature: Translation as Repa(t)r(i)ation" exhibit as part of the Michigan Library Scholars internship.

During the summer of COVID-19, Michigan Library Scholar Yifei Yao contributed to the Askwith International Media Awareness Project by curating an online exhibit that highlights Asian film collections. This remote working experience provided an opportunity for Yifei to learn and grow. Through combining her passion for film and the new professional skills she learned, Yifei became more clear and confident in her career path after graduation.

The Michigan Library Scholars application jumped out at me back in February. I’m a rising junior studying economics & communications with a minor in Spanish, hoping to ultimately work for a non-profit one day. I saw the Askwith project and was immediately drawn to it because the majority of my classes this past semester were on globalization. Slowly I began to understand the necessity of being culturally aware and maintaining diversity in a world where homogeneity is often expected. Knowing I had been confined to my own “single-story,” or was truly only familiar with my home country, became an impediment to my perspective on the global community. The MLS program stood out to me then, and now, because I got to be part of a team of classmates and mentors working to end narrow-mindedness at UM.

Michigan Library Scholars intern Sophie Shao provides a glimpse into her experience of creating an animated video about the library's services and resources while working in a remote environment. This project underscores the importance of accessibility with a multilingual lens as well as the need for communication and problem solving in this new era of virtual work.

Rising junior Estrella Salgado reflects on her experience as a Michigan Library Scholar during the summer of 2019. Her project led her to create an online exhibit about one of the world's greatest epics, the Ramayana. This experience led to increased cultural appreciation, effective organization skills, and a heightened interest in library careers.