LIBRARY DEVELOPMENTS Volume 3 No. 3 Spring 1996
Students who work for the Library in the Digital Centers or use the resources of the Centers in their own research are finding that there is a payoff after graduation. Last year HarperCollins and Voyager Books hired several of the student assistants from the Electronic Text Center to manage their World Wide Web sites. After spending six months as a research associate in the E-Text Center, Kelly Moulton is now the Online Coordinator for HarperCollins Publishers. "My E-Text Center experience opened doors for me that I couldn't have considered otherwise. It served as a challenging seminar on how to apply Internet technology to the arts. My position offers me the exposure to book production which I had originally desired, plus the opportunity to promote authors and their work in an entirely new medium. I've also been able to extend my bond with the University by helping undergrads and graduate students who contact me about my experience here."
Other academic institutions and humanities organizations are seeking electronic text and Internet experience in their job postings. Lisa Guernsey, assistant editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education, was hired to help build The Chronicle's on-line edition, Academe Today. "The E-Text Center gave me the technical experience that The Chronicle was looking for. They needed someone with strong writing experience, but who was comfortable with technology. U.Va.'s Electronic Text Center is highly regarded in the academic community and is considered a cutting-edge resource for electronic publishing. "
The Johns Hopkins University Press recently hired a Digital Image Center (DIC) alumnus as the design director for their MUSE Project (electronic journals on the World Wide Web). Another former student assistant in the DIC, Lara Ashmore, is a systems analyst working on educational technology projects with the University's Department of Information Technology and Communications (ITC). "My job in the Digital Image Center created opportunities for me in ITC and the University community. It provided me with practical World Wide Web design and digital imaging experience, two very valuable skills in my field of instructional technology."
The Library's Campaign goals for the Digital Rotunda include endowments for graduate research assistantships. Donors endowing these assistantships will be gratified to know that their generosity not only will provide critical support for library services and student research but will provide experience valuable in the job market after graduation.