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Josten Student Assistants, Then and Now

News

Sophia Foster ’20 and Marianne Jasmine ’85

Published November 22, 2019

Friends of the Libraries Executive Committee member Marianne Jasmine ’85 remembers fondly her time spent working as a student assistant in Josten. It made her wonder what the role is like today. Marianne reached out to fellow Government major Sophia Foster ’20 to talk about being a student assistant at Josten. They reflected on Josten as a special space tucked away at the edge of campus and as a center of arts and music that opened up new aspects of campus to the students who worked there.

MJ: So tell me Sophia, how did you come to work at Josten?

SF: I saw the job on Smith’s online job portal. I liked that it was different, not something that I had done before. I hadn’t spent any time at Josten before that.

MJ: For me, Josten was part of financial aid/work study and I was randomly assigned there. Like you I had never spent time there but also like you I came to love Josten because it was different from anything I was doing in my field of study of Government. Right from the start I felt like it was a very special place. I felt so lucky to have been placed there. Were there things about the job that you immediately liked?

SF: There was a lot to learn when I first started; a lot of different library systems. I had worked in the dining hall before Josten and the change of pace was nice. I enjoyed being around adults on the staff and meeting new students. The social part of helping others was really nice and it allowed me to have a different set of social interactions. It’s also a really nice space and a nice atmosphere.

MJ: I couldn’t agree more and we certainly have some things in common. I had been working in our dining hall prior to Josten and getting to be in a library setting was such a nice switch. I remember helping students find the albums they needed to listen to for their various classes. I’m assuming no one is coming in asking for albums anymore!

SF: Definitely a lot of the music is online so for the most part you don’t have to check out anything to be able to listen to an assignment. But some professors will pick a selection of CDs for their course and ask the library to put them on the reserve shelf behind the check-out desk. Students browse them and listen and pick what they may want to use for their project.

MJ: So I’m guessing albums are a thing of the past.

SF: Actually, there are still albums in Josten’s basement. Even though they aren’t really used for classes, there are still record players in the listening rooms and students often come and take them out to listen to them for their own enjoyment.

MJ: I’m happy to hear that! When I was working at Josten I discovered in the basement, all the Rolling Stones magazines dating back to 1969. Let’s just say I spent a lot of time looking through all those old issues!

SF: I’ll have to check to see if they’re still there! You never know the kind of interesting things you may find.

MJ: As you approach graduation, what do you think you’ll carry with you from your time working in Josten?

SF: I’m not sure that I’ll be using the cataloguing systems in other parts of my life but basic and necessary work skills like showing up on time, problem solving and being focused on work are things that I will definitely take with me. I enjoy when someone has a question and I have to figure out how to answer it. Sometimes it’s just about helping students understand how to use Josten because it can seem so different from the other Smith libraries.

MJ: Same for me. As I grew to love Josten, it was fun to share that feeling and enthusiasm with the students who came in for help. Particularly those, like me, who didn’t really have a music background.

SF: Absolutely! And since I live in King, working in Josten opened up a whole other part of the campus to me. I’ve probably been to more concerts and performances because I’m there and I see them advertised.

MJ: Another thing we have in common! I lived in Wilson so until I worked in Josten I hardly ever went to that part of the campus. But once there, I loved it and I loved the spaces like the courtyard and the interior of Josten.

SF: When I started working at Josten it was much quieter but students have been coming more since Neilson closed and I think they will still come because it has such a distinct feeling.

MJ: Josten really is a special and distinct place. It’s so tucked away sometimes people don’t discover it which is why it was so much fun to work there. Once I started working there, my friends would come to check it out. Have you spread the word?

SF: Definitely! I promote it a lot. It’s like this little secret that you let a few people in on.

MJ: I couldn’t agree more! I can’t thank you enough for chatting with me! It’s been great to hear that Josten is just as vital and special a library as it was back when I was at Smith.

SF: Thanks, it was a lot of fun.

Contact

Mary Irwin
mirwin@smith.edu