Friday, July 7, 2017 by Mary Lynne Bartlett
Hi everyone! Our names are Pree and Mary Lynne and we are the proud leads of the Library Ambassador program. Through our roles, we have the privilege of working with a group of UWaterloo’s most remarkable students (okay, maybe we are a little biased, but they truly are the best!).
We are in the process of recruiting and are accepting applications for Library Ambassadors to work in the fall semester. You can apply up until July 12. Recruitment is one of our favourite parts of this program and we are really looking forward to making some new additions to the team.
As a Library Ambassador, you have the opportunity to improve your customer service, approachability, and teamwork skills through your interactions with other Library Ambassadors, students, faculty, staff, and parents. You also have several opportunities for professional development. One of the many gems of the Library Ambassador program is professional mentorship. New Library Ambassadors have up to four hours of mentoring available to them with whichever Library staff of their choice.
If our ambassadors achieve nothing else, they achieve confidence in not only their work but also themselves. As an ambassador, you are the face of the Library at campus fairs such as the Orientation Fair, the International Student Orientation Fair, and the Campus Life Fair. You also represent the Library and our campus partners by conducting information sessions at the Student Life Centre, through library day activities, by conducting Academic Integrity info sessions, and through providing information to students in both Dana Porter and Davis Centre during the first two weeks of term.
Each term, ambassadors are given 10 paid hours to come up with a project that benefits students and promotes the library. It is always interesting to see what everyone comes up with- their creativity truly knows no bounds!
Not only are our ambassadors brilliant (swear we aren’t biased), they are also quick on their feet! After all of the approachability exercises, Academic Integrity training, customer service scenario practice, and “Ted talks” that take place on training day, ambassadors participate in a Library Amazing Race. It would be impossible to accurately describe just how amazing this amazing race is, so you will just have to apply to join our team and experience it for yourself ;)
As leads, one of the most rewarding experiences of working with the ambassadors is seeing how far they come during the time they spend in the program. When our ambassadors join, we have them fill out a short questionnaire to see what skills/areas they hope to improve through working with us. When they leave the program, we ask them to reflect on how and why these improved during their time as a Library Ambassador. It is always amazing to see what this program can help students accomplish.
Have a great rest of the semester!
-Pree and Mary Lynne
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