Library ambassadors: written by Brenna Middleton

Hi there! My name is Brenna and I’m a 4B Rhetoric, Media, and Professional Communication major at UWaterloo. This is my second term as a Library Ambassador and I am so happy to be back! When I first heard about this opportunity last summer, I thought that it would be a great way to cultivate new skills and make a difference within the UW community. I was pleased to discover that the Library Ambassador program provides both of those things and much, much more. 

In addition to working at fun events, you are given the opportunity to work on a term project. This term I am bringing back the B Mindful Challenge with a fellow ambassador, Rabia. The goal of the project is to promote the importance of mindfulness to students during the exam period. Everyone needs study breaks, so we’re providing a table in the library for students to colour mandalas. Students are also encouraged to write positive messages for patients at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital on the mandalas. It’s a great way for students to help themselves and others at the same time. I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish last term with the project and I am looking forward to hosting it again in April.

Rabia and I recently submitted a proposal alongside one of our Co-leads, Mary Lynne and Dr. Abrams to do a presentation at the OHD Staff Conference in April. This is an exciting opportunity to talk about our term project and how it brought our campus and the community together. During our presentation, UWaterloo staff will have the opportunity to colour mandala cards that can be dropped off at Dana Porter Library. The cards will later be given to patients at the hospital.

I recently applied to grad school for Library and Information Science, and the Library Ambassador program helped with that process immensely. Even if you aren’t interested in becoming a librarian someday, this program provides skills and experiences that would be useful for many career paths. For one thing, project management experience is a great asset to have. It shows that you can plan ahead and be accountable for a project every step of the way. If you’re looking to improve your public speaking skills, there are many opportunities to accomplish that at events or presentations.

One of the best parts of being a Library Ambassador is that it motivates me to get involved with the UWaterloo community. Before joining the program, I saw campus as simply a place to study. I always felt like I was too busy to get involved with clubs or teams. But the time I’ve invested in the program has been truly worthwhile. Talking to other students and helping them use the library is very rewarding. This week I got to hand out buttons at the We Are All UWaterloo rally, and it was very inspiring to see people from all over campus come together in support of this event.

Studying is important, but it’s not everything. If you are looking for a fun way to get more involved at UWaterloo, definitely consider becoming a Library Ambassador!

-Brenna