UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Opportunities for student employment at Penn State University Libraries are as varied as the collections and services you’ll find there. The Search Bar offers a unique model for students who wish to gain knowledge and be of service while working.
Located in Pattee Library’s Sidewater Commons on the University Park campus, the glass-enclosed workspace offers a suite of services for students, by students. In collaboration with Penn State Learning, Search Bar student tutors include Peer Research Consultants (PRCs) and Writing Center tutors trained in research and writing skills, respectively, to create a peer-to-peer experience available as in-person, virtual or walk-in consultations.
The drop-in collaborative support center — the only location within Pattee and Paterno Libraries where students can get walk-in reference help — offers both valuable expertise to students working on projects and writing assignments, and educational learning opportunities for student tutors.
“Data shows that both student peer tutors and students who use the service can benefit from peer-tutoring with both hard and soft skills being acquired through this practice,” said Monica Gingerich, University Libraries coordinator for student experience and engagement. “Peer tutoring is an important student engagement activity and has been identified as a 'high-impact practice' in 'The Roman and Littlefield Guide to Learning Center Administration.' Students can practice and implement skills learned through instruction in a low-stakes environment.”
Search Bar PRCs typically work up to 10 hours weekly, assisting fellow students with tasks such as choosing and refining a research topic, developing research questions, evaluating sources, navigating the Libraries’ website and resources, and creating citation lists. Working in tandem with Penn State Learning's Writing Center Tutors (WCTs) enables students to train together and form close working relationships with other peer tutors. PRCs and WCTs collaborate with staff at University Libraries and the Writing Center to create indispensable services.
Hope Glaze, a third-year marketing student at Penn State University Park and a peer research consultant, said that students often feel overwhelmed when they begin research, due to the quantity of resources available, and that peer research consultants can help ease that stress.
“I think students feel more comfortable talking to a peer because we have been where they were,” Glaze said. “We have done the assignments and have been in the exact positions that they are in currently. By learning how to engage in research, students become better writers.”
Glaze, who added that her own research and writing skills have sharpened since working as a PRC, said, “Knowing how to navigate different resources and determining what will be a useful source is always a helpful skill.
"I am able to find more reputable resources that better support my writing and add structure my papers. I am also able to better communicate my thoughts because of all the students that I meet with,” said Glaze. “Since every student is different, I may need to change the way I word things for them to understand what I am trying to convey.”
Who can work at the Search Bar? Any student interested in helping other students is a great fit for this work, said Gingerich, who stressed that PRCs represent a wide range in areas of study and receive training to provide them with the specialized skill set needed for successful research consultations. Such training includes familiarizing PRCs with the research process, learning to evaluate information, as well as finding and accessing appropriate resources and citation information.
“I love being able to work with other students — It helps me improve as a communicator and I can better articulate my thoughts,” said Glaze. “Also, the Search Bar has an amazing atmosphere and the people that you would work with are very approachable and friendly!"
“Peer Research Consultants help us provide top-quality services for the Penn State community,” said Gingerich. “Their insight, from a student’s perspective, is absolutely invaluable.”
Flexible scheduling, convenient work locations, competitive pay and the knowledge that Libraries’ student workers directly contribute to student success are just a few reasons that University Libraries internship opportunities, student worker positions and graduate assistantships are in high demand. Part-time student positions are posted on Penn State’s career page for all University Libraries Commonwealth Campus locations and branches, and Penn State students of all majors and colleges are encouraged to apply.
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
Read the first article in this series, “University Libraries offers variety of student work, learning opportunities.”