From a simple conversation last year between Dr. Marcia Edwards, Business Administration, Human Services and Information Technology (BAHSIT) department chair, and her colleague Rev. Nancy “Dominique” Dessables, Human Services practicum manager about how their BAHSIT students and ultimately, the entire College community, could increase their awareness and use of the New York City Public Library (NYCPL) emerged a fruitful new partnership with one of the College’s closest neighbors.
Edwards and Dessables began by meeting with leaders of the NYPL to discuss how BAHSIT could develop and expand a more hands-on working partnership with them particularly for resume, job search and internship development. Last year they piloted their first “Live and Learn Series,” consisting of a three-day program where students met with staff of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library to learn about library resources, followed by two days of visiting the physical library for a resume workshop, library tour and resume review lab. Included in the series was also a short segment on interviewing skills facilitated by Human Services (HSVS) Practicum Associates.
“Guttman has become one of my favorite places to visit and conduct outreach. Everyone is so friendly and cares so much about the students,” said NYPL Supervising Librarian, Programs and Outreach Peter Raimondi of NYPL’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library. Raimondi and his NYPL Career Services colleagues Katrina Ortega, associate director, and Tenaja Smith Butler, outreach coordinator, along with other staff, served as key players in organizing the now yearly series.
This year, the series repeated on 5/1 with 68 BAHSIT students participating. In sessions held in classrooms, in the Guttman Library and at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library over two days, they learned about library resources, practiced interviewing skills with expert guidance from HSVS Practicum Associates Seham Tajeddin and Tiffani Farrow, participated in resume and cover letter workshops and enjoyed NYPL tours. Center for Career Preparation and Partnerships (CCPP) Internship Manager Shaina Davis supported the event and ensured that more Business and IT students could participate this spring than last year.
According to Dessables, “This program is a collaboration between BAHSIT, CCPP and NYPL and now Guttman Chief Librarian Meagan Lacy will be folded into the process to hopefully take over the coordination of this event for the next series in the fall. Meagan also wants to increase student awareness about the benefits of using both the Guttman and NYPL libraries for research, career development and other programming.”
Lacy stated, “[Through the Live and Learn Series], students see how information literacy skills play a part in their personal and professional lives, not just the classroom. The partnership also provides a bridge between academic and public libraries, encouraging students to become lifelong library users.”
