Library ambassadors: written by Dennie Park

Hi everyone! My name is Dennie Park and I am in my third year of a Joint Honours Psychology and Science degree. I have been a Library Ambassador since the pilot project started in Spring 2016.I have honestly learned and grown so much since I first started as a Library Ambassador. I have always loved the library and was excited to hear that there was a position where I could reach out to other students and help them know more about the services and resources the library has to offer to help them succeed. Not only is the library a valuable tool for academic success, many people find it a safe and comforting space to read, relax, and take part in many fun events and activities planned by our welcoming staff.

Being a Library Ambassador was far more fun and challenging than I thought it would be when I first applied. There are so many more aspects to the job than what most people think! Not only do we talk with students and help facilitate library events, we actively help shape the future of the Outreach program and work with fellow library staff to keep up to date and manage our projects and tasks. We are even given the opportunity to develop our own personal student engagement projects and are provided with mentorship opportunities with a library staff member of our choice! This job has helped me grow as a person and develop my skills in so many ways. Interacting with students and doing presentations has increased my confidence in public speaking and being able to handle myself in unexpected situations! Being given the opportunity to develop my own project and working with various departments to work out the details and help bring it to fruition was one of the most valuable experiences I was given while working here.

I think what I ended up loving the most about this job, is the library staff. They are some of the most welcoming, enthusiastic people I’ve ever met and you can tell they genuinely care about the work they do. The people who work here love working with students and are always open to hearing new ideas about how the library can engage the campus community better.

My term project is a monthly display in the library, highlighting works from members of marginalized communities (LGBTQIA+ community, women, people of colour, disability community, etc). Alternatively, I also wish to have displays about and how to support marginalized groups (with focus on intersectionality if possible). I believe that engaging and educating the student community about issues prevalent in our society is a really great way to get people educated and get a discussion going! I am currently working with my mentor, Sarah Brown to help make this happen!

Feel free to approach me if you see me around on campus and ask me any questions you might have about the library or maybe even applying to become a Library Ambassador yourself!