In additional to analyzing the skills participants listed and sorted, I also coded the interview transcripts using applied thematic analysis. I am still refining my coding of the data, however some major themes have already emerged. See the tabs above for the major themes and some sample quotations from the interviews.
“When I was working at the library, I'd use it a lot for academic research and academically driven books. Now, as I'm about to graduate, a lot of the books I am researching are for thesis and during breaks I just get books that I enjoy to read.” -senior architecture student (1)
“In regards to my major, a lot of people do research off of just the computer and looking at like different artists like that, but I think it's a lot more efficient if you go to the library and you look up an artist and then when you find the book you look to the left and right and you find like similar things in that category, and a lot of times you can find posters and stuff that like haven't been published to the web. Sometimes the books are old and they don't ... No one really cares about them anymore, so they don't really care to look for the images in there. I did get a lot of inspiration from there. So, just, about that. Research skills, because I think there's a lot more to books than the web.” -senior graphic design student (2)
“As I said, I don't think I knew how to do research, like specifically, because I think I was so used to high school. Just doing things last minute and just passing with like a B or something. I think once I stopped doing that and then started researching, it just affected me. I think once I started learning how to research, how to do all that, that's where I started improving my grades and improving my work ethic because it kind of sucked but I got better as I went. It got to the point where I could pay attention to detail. If something's wrong, I have to do it right and doing a lot of research because I think if I would have done it for the beginning, it probably would have been better off, starting off.” -graduated architecture student (4)
“This is really the effect that library work has on my studies as well. Working a certain amount of hours is hours taking away from my studio. Trying to manage my time so I still get all my studio work done well, done in time. Managing my time. Also it relates to working at the library. You know you only have a certain amount of time to work and you need these tasks done. Managing your time so you can get all of them done.” -sophomore interior architecture student (3)
“I'm already involved on campus so I might as well get involved more. It's that aspect too. Being like, ‘Oh, I can manage working and taking leadership roles and classwork.’ Time management.” -sophomore interior architecture student (3)
“I became better at time managing myself. Even like with classes and everything, I was able to make sure that like I organized my time well to make sure that I get my classes and assignments done on time. I’m able to have my work, like go home, work on time. I have to organize myself a lot and I take pride in that.” -senior accounting student (5)
“And also helping students. If someone came and needed help finding a book, you would help them. You would leave the desk and you'd go help them find a book. It was really fun teaching them how it works and them realizing how easy it is to navigate through the library.” -senior architecture student (1)
“Yeah. I think that's an important part of team building. Then, just knowing other people are there for you to help you out like when you don't know something. I've had the students come up to me and they're like, "Oh, I know you've been here for a long time. Do you know where this is?" Or, "I don't know how to answer this person." So, we rely on each other. Even me, that's been here for a long time, sometimes I don't know and I'll ask them, "Hey, did [the supervisor] talk to you about this, because I've never done this before." It's good to have someone to rely on. It teaches you.” -senior graphic design student (2)
“I also love like teaching the new students when they came in and explaining them what their job was going to be. I knew I was in the same place and the same situation, so I want to help them make that transition better to, you know how to organize themselves and how to handle themselves at the library, because it’s difficult thing now.” -senior accounting student (5)
“I was really like a closed off and quiet person before college and I think the library helped me with my interaction skills. It didn't force me to talk to people, but it taught me that other people are shy. I don't know why people are really shy. I notice that when they come into the library. They won't make eye contact with you or they'll just be like ... Especially when they're checking out books, too, they'll just be like kind of looking away and like you get them to engage in this conversation. It's cool. Even asking them about ... I always ask, "What's your major?" And then I'll be like, "Oh, where's your ideal place of working?" Then they get really excited that you show an interest in what they like.
Especially with animation students. I don't know why they get like really peppy about it. Yeah, I think just human interaction and learning what people like. I think that's really important, because going out into the job world, you have to interact with people and learn how to have team building skills kind of thing, even though you're not like having a team with that person, it's interesting to get people to talk that don't want to talk.” -senior graphic design student (2)
“Interacting with different people. So we range from speaking with faculty to students to staff, and there's a different language that you have for each of them. Definitely communication in the sense of customer service and then how you're speaking to each other.” -senior architecture student (8)
“Yeah, completely. I could go find something all on my own. I don't need to ask, "This is the call number. Where do I go?"
I was going to say, even when I started working at the library, I'd always think, oh, I love working here because I finally understand how to research for the books independently. Before, I felt like I had to depend on a reference librarian or someone to help me. Then I got at a stage where I could just do it independently.” -senior architecture student (1)
“Library language can be an analogy to the workforce because there was a transition to understanding the library language. What I didn't understand before Woodbury is I didn't understand there was always a transition. I always thought, how am I going to work? People felt like they just went to work and already knew everything they had to do. I'd get anxiety, but now that I'm older I understand that every job has training and you don't know everything the first day. You learn things as you go.” -senior architecture student (1)
“A lot of the people that I work with are on the executive board or president of other committees. I guess that inspired me. ‘Oh, they can do this and work this many hours and do classwork so maybe I can do it as well.’ Even though we're not the same majors and we probably don't have the same workloads that I have. Still having that person that is doing so much. I'm always surrounded by them at Woodbury. A lot of my friends do a lot too so that inspires me to be like, ‘Oh, I can do it too.’” -sophomore interior architecture student (3)
“It's like the quiet place to be able to do work. Being able to work in the back in those little cubicle things, it's really nice, because you have like your own private like personal space where people don't really bother you and you can get work done as opposed to like being with all your friends and they talk and stuff. Even my other friends, too, they do say that like, "Those are the best things ever. Those little things in the back. We wish we had more of them." But the couches are nice, too. Especially if you had a long day, just go chill in there and it's really quiet. I just like this open environment where you feel safe.” -senior graphic design student (2)
“It's cozy. I like it. I like that it's not necessarily like being at home, but you have a couch which is comfortable, and it's still private, it has little seating areas, and the behaviors that it creates is different. You go into the library and people will respect that you're in the library. They won't be talking out loud and yelling. But if we're at Woody's that's different.” -senior architecture student (8)
“I can’t compare it, because the library is just an amazing place to be. I love our courtyard. That was where I would go when I came to the library. That was where I would go and sit and do my work. It was just such a … I like the environment there. It just kind of feels so nice and relaxing. It would make me just want to go there and do my work there.” -senior accounting student (5)
“Yeah. I think the biggest learning element was understanding how the library functioned, because a lot of students come and they don't even know how to use the online search. Even I was iffy. I was like, "Okay, I see here's the call number, but I have no idea where to go for this call number." Because the stacks were different in the two rooms. I wasn't sure which room to even go to. Then when I worked there, I did get much more familiar with the call numbers and I knew once I looked up where I would go exactly to find the books.” -senior architecture student (1)
“Not all. I mean, yeah, I’ve been to the libraries and I kind of had like an idea of how they did it, but not to the … I didn’t fully understand it until I started working here and actually learning how, where to actually supposed to put in and then it just kind of make sense. I remember we used the library before and I got in books from there, but seeing with those call number orders, I didn’t really pay attention to all the details when I was taking a book or putting it back.” -senior accounting student (5)
“Even the call numbers. I'm from a different country and in my country we don't really have the same system the way we do here. And I had to learn all that stuff and it was really fascinating. Because now I know how to find books really quickly.” -senior psychology student (7)
“Besides emotional control, I also learned how to separate personal life and work, I would say. At first, everything was life for me. Library was part of my life. If something went wrong, I would carry that into the rest of my day. Emotional control, I would also apply that to that, how to leave everything that happened at work and transfer to your daily moment, just enjoy your day. That's what I think.” -senior psychology student (6)
“I guess even if it's not for yourself, just when a person comes to the library, seeing someone smile. Say hello or good morning. Just having a smile on your face or being ... Giving off that aura of positivity, I guess, can really affect people that come in. I know when I'm coming to the library, not even working, just if someone's saying, "Hello, good morning," automatically my mood lifts.” -sophomore interior architecture student (3)
“What I picked up from when people would check out books is I'd glance at the book and in my phone I would take pictures of some of the books. I'd ask them if I could take a picture of them, and then I would end up checking it out after them when they returned it. It would help me in my academic life because I'd be exposed to books that I wouldn't have normally found myself because someone else checked it out. I'd just see, oh, this is a good lighting book and I would make notes of it. All the books I have checked out right now, people have checked them out and checked them back in. I just got them for myself.” -senior architecture student (1)
“Browsing books and journals, as I said, I did it mostly online. Sometimes I would just read some psychology books that are not really required for our class, but I'm interested. It adds to my knowledge in psychology, I would say. I didn't use it in any of my research studies or anything.” -senior psychology student (6)