Bucknell students have been finding support, resources, skill development, and opportunities to explore their passions through the library for more than 75 years.
For Claire Jenkins ‘25 (history, film/media studies), finding hidden histories while a student assistant in Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) “is what makes this job not only incredibly fascinating but extremely important and rewarding.” Claire spent her last two years at Bucknell working in SCUA, a unit in Library Services, on a wide range of projects. She inventoried and rehoused archival materials such as the Rooke Chapel Choir photo albums; conducted archival research, including compiling materials on two Japanese American students who came to Bucknell in the 1940s from internment camps; and developed exhibits, one of which drew on her senior seminar research to present two student scrapbooks from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With a curiosity and passion for history and stories, Claire is making this work her career as she is currently pursuing a masters of library and information science.
Since its inception in 2017, the Digital Scholarship Summer Research Fellows (DSSRF) program has provided students with an opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary research while building technology, research, and communication skills. Past DSSRF participants have leveraged their new skills and projects to help them land jobs after graduation; have expanded on their research through honors theses; and have been inspired to enter the profession of librarianship. Rennie Heza ‘18 (applied mathematics; DSSRF project) and Danny Nolan ‘25 (statistics; DSSRF project) both completed projects in sports analytics, and went on to land jobs in the field. Both Tyler Candelora ‘19 (comparative humanities and Spanish; DSSRF project) and Emilia Blechschmidt ‘26 (mathematical economics; DSSRF project) used their projects as springboards for the completion of honors theses in their respective majors. Abby Dolan ‘19 (music) expanded her digital gamelan project during the COVID-19 pandemic to support continued online learning by the Bucknell Gamelan ensemble, and later went on to earn her master’s in library science.
In the words of Caden Purcell ‘29, “When I arrived on campus as a new student, everything was rather overwhelming. Being away from home for the first time was stressful and I didn’t know anyone. Thankfully, as part of a program I’m in, I was paired up with the Dean of Library Services, Katherine Furlong, who was looking for assistance on a research project. Katherine was really the first person who asked how I was doing and meant it! She then introduced me to the rest of the library staff, who are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. Beyond the staff, the library has offered me the chance to pursue interdisciplinary research, allowing me to combine my passion for technology with my interest in literature.”
Support The Library
Celebrate the library’s 75th with a gift that strengthens the Library’s collections, resources and services. Your support helps enrich teaching, learning and research across Bucknell.