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Gumberg Library English Department Internship: Intern Experiences

A Gumberg Library Research Guide

Hannah Goss

Hannah Goss (Fall 2022 Intern)


Picture of Hannah GossHello! My name is Hannah Goss, and I’m a senior English major with a writing concentration and minors in Women’s and Gender Studies and Sociology. While looking for an internship for my senior year, I came across the English Department’s course offerings that listed the Humanities Librarian Intern. I thought this sounded like a great opportunity to help me develop my research skills and learn how to better use the resources offered by libraries that could help me in graduate school, so I applied. I was also excited to take part in creating resources that could help others in the future. This internship has allowed me to exercise my writing and research skills while learning more about the research process and how to navigate a web content management system like LibGuides. 

Over the course of the semester, I learned to navigate the LibGuides system with the help of Ted Bergfelt, Humanities Librarian, as he explained how to use the many tools LibGuides offers and the ins and outs of creating guides. The first few guides I created were for the theology and philosophy departments. I worked on guides for St. Paul the Apostle, Women Mystics, and Simone Weil. Simone Weil was the first guide I started to do some independent research on to find relevant videos and articles. As the semester progressed, we found the need for a guide on Chicago Style Format which was exciting for me to work on because of my work at the writing center on campus. I knew this would be a resource I could point students to. Additionally, my experience also taught me how difficult navigating overly dense citation resources can be, so in adapting another library’s Chicago resource to our website, I kept this in mind. I also worked on developing an Anti-Racism guide, connecting students to resources on campus as well as reading material, and I worked on guides for C.S. Lewis and August Wilson, authors I had some knowledge of from my English classes and my own reading.

As the semester came to a close, my last research guide was one of my own making on Contemporary Feminism. As a Women’s and Gender Studies minor, I noticed that the resources offered on feminist subjects were limited, and I was particularly excited about creating a guide that would both highlight important academic thinkers and interest the everyday reader in incorporating modern feminists, writers, musicians, and artists. I used past guides as a model, such as the American Women Writers guide, and gathered a list of people I wanted to include. Beyond linking users to the library’s content on important names like Judith Butler and Audre Lorde, I wanted to broaden the scope to artists like Barbara Kruger and Beyonce whom people might not know about or think of as feminists. I also incorporated Ted Talks such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s “We Should All Be Feminists,” podcast interviews, and music videos from artists like Lizzo and Halsey.   

Overall, this internship has helped me gain professional skills that will help me in whatever future career I might pursue. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and learning experience working alongside Ted Bergfelt, and I would recommend this internship to anyone who is thinking about pursuing graduate school, library sciences, or is interested in research and web content.  

Thomas DeMauro III

Thomas DeMauro III (Spring 2022 Intern)


Picture of Thomas DeMauro IIIHello! My name is Tommy DeMauro and I'm a second-semester junior pursuing a double major in English and history, a minor in philosophy, and a certificate in public history. I first found out about this internship through the English department when they sent an email out advertising the open position. After applying and getting interviewed, I was offered the internship by Ted Bergfelt and happily accepted. My first research guide focused on F. Scott Fitzgerald; Ted sat beside me as he explained the basics of the program we use, LibGuides, and its many tools, customizations, and helpful features. The first research guide I created mostly on my own was one centered on The Reformation and Counter-Reformation. It took a few weeks of formatting, creating links, conducting research, and embedding videos, but the hard work paid off when it was eventually posted on Gumberg's website for all students to utilize.

A few smaller guides were created afterward, such as one focused on Ernest Hemingway and another on William Carlos Williams, but soon thereafter the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Seeing that many students didn't follow the news daily and were uninformed of the situation, I quickly jumped on creating a research guide studying Ukraine's history, culture, customs, and religion with the last few sections explaining the current crisis. I created links to videos, images, and live news stories updated by networks such as NBC, CNN, ABC, BBC, and more to help keep the Duquesne community informed on the serious conflict occurring overseas. 

My last research guide was centered on iconic events of the 1980s. Seeing as today's pop culture is heavily influenced by aspects associated with the eighties such as Polaroid cameras, mom jeans, fanny packs, jean jackets, and much more, I felt it necessary to document the moments that defined the decade. The goal was to not only link students to academic sources but to help spark interest in those who know little about the eighties and its key events. Filled with images, colorful displays, and an eighties-themed background, I was able to freely display my creative talents, hoping to garnish the attention of students looking for an educational yet entertaining guide. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time working as an intern in Gumberg Library with Ted Bergfelt creating research guides, and I strongly recommend others apply for the position. Not only is Ted an extremely intellectual and caring person, but the skills regarding basic programming, researching, and designing techniques he's taught me are abilities that will help me both in the classroom and in almost any professional setting. I look forward to seeing more research guides get posted for years to come by the interns that follow in my footsteps!