News & Updates
Educating Students through Employment
By Beth Bohstedt
November 19, 2014
One of the largest student employers on campus, LITS employs well over 100 students. They perform tasks such as processing and shelving library materials, staffing service desks, maintaining computer labs and providing audiovisual services. While we rely on our student assistants to ensure smooth LITS operations, we also take part in their education.
Hamilton College seeks to aid in the “development of students as human beings, as we prepare them to make choices and accept the responsibilities of citizenship.” (from the College’s Mission Statement) A recent related emphasis is on alumni career satisfaction. LITS staff who employ students carry out a critical role in this endeavor.
Accepting a job with LITS requires a student to practice good time management, make a commitment to maintain a regular work schedule, and learn to take direction. While they are students first, they must also realize that they are employees and need to respect their responsibilities in that capacity. We believe that studying and working complement each other and give students a chance to develop skills and work habits that will help them to be successful in their future careers. We are, in essence, teaching them how to be an employee.
A handful of LITS student supervisors will seek to increase their effectiveness by attending an upcoming NorthEast Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) workshop, Student Employee Management: Effectively Motivating and Managing Performance to Enhance their Education. We hope to bring back ideas to even further strengthen the LITS student employees’ experience.
While we might not always achieve our ideal, it is always nice to receive positive feedback, as we did in a note from a recent student. She says, in part: “I had such a great and positive experience working along side such a motivated, knowledgeable and helpful team. Not only did I learn more about our very own library system, but I also learned important life skills that I will take with me. Thank you for being a great leader and mentor.”
