Shift #47 - Speed Networking Session
Friday, July 12, 2024 | 12-1:30 pm CST/1-2:30 pm EST (1.5 hrs)
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Michelle Hurt, student/intern
Jennifer Gonzalez, practicum supervisor
This is a screenshot of the short presentation on speed networking. Our host gave us an introduction and made us interns feel so welcomed!
I am so glad I took part in this speed networking session! Every summer, the Library of Congress has lots of interns and they provide them with sessions and webinars that can give them a leg up on their career, like networking. But because there are a lot of interns, for sessions like these, you had to RSVP early and get confirmation of your attendance. Thankfully, as soon as I saw the RSVP was open, I jumped at the opportunity, especially since I'd already taken part in other webinars with Library of Congress staff. The ones I had heard speak were welcoming and knowledgeable so this was a webinar I didn't want to pass up. After an introduction from our host on how the next hour and a half would go, we got started. I ended up speaking with four different staff members, all of whom were kind and gave lots of good insight.
I met with Beth Osborne who is part of the Law Library, Juliette Appold who works with accessibility in the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Rosslyn Richardson who works with the Congressional Research Service, and with George Thuronyi who is with the Communications & Copyright office. Beth and I connected over UNT, as she has worked with interns from UNT in the past, and we also talked about the Law Library and working with Jennifer (my supervisor). With Juliette, I mentioned to her that I am also interested in accessibility (especially web accessibility) and she encouraged me to look at the NLS website for resources. I jotted down in my OneNote to look into any volunteer opportunities they have, perhaps something I can do next year. With Rosslyn, she gave me some career advice, including the need to remain flexible. She said that you just never know what will come up in your career so learn to pivot accordingly. She also told me that my next steps will come in the proper time and that I should not rush things. George told me about his various jobs with the government and he encouraged me to see beyond library jobs - that the Library of Congress actually has many nontraditional jobs. I felt like I could have talked for longer with each person because they all had such good things to say, and I had more questions than we had time. I highly recommend to people to figure out what networking looks like for them! It can be scary but it is so, so helpful for one's career development.
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