During the Summer of 2017 I was offered the opportunity to intern at the American Academy of Rome. Specifically I would be assisting with placement of the incoming books and handling non-required texts in the Library.
The Library of the American Academy houses over 160,000 collections of books with a focus on Classical Studies, The Arts, and Food Studies. It has over three floors holding this vast collection of books and my main task was to manage shifting books to allow for an incoming 20,000 books.
There was plenty of shifting to do and not much time to do it. The shifting took place during August when the Library was closed to the public and needed to be done before it opened again. It was very physical work and I was constantly moving, yet at the same time it was somewhat peaceful. While interning at the American Academy I began to understand more about the type of worker I am and how I manage working under time pressure. I learned to manage my time better, for example; which project it was better to take on at what time for instance, and I also learned to set mini goals every day to make the job more satisfying and motivating. Another important skill I acquired from this internship was working as part of a team, which I know I can take with me to future jobs. While working with other people I understood that everyone has their own pace and you need to find a way to meet in the middle, which was completely new to me; I appreciated this aspect the most.
Although I do not plan to pursue a career in a Library environment, I appreciate the acquired skills and also the experience of working in a new environment with fantastic people. As an Archaeology and Classics major, this position also gave me an introduction to some unique and interesting books that could assist me in the future, whether for pleasure or education and research.
Taneisha Tamayo, Archaeology and Classics, 2017