UPDATED Archives: Student Assistant Job Openings

Are you a St. Kate's student looking for a unique and rewarding part-time on-campus job opportunity? Do you want to learn about St. Kate's history and get paid for it? Work with us as a student assistant in the Archives and Special Collections!

There are 2 open positions, one for a first year or sophomore undergraduate student and one for a graduate student in the MLIS program.

Job duties include staffing the service desk and providing assistance to users of the collections, organizing and/or digitizing records of University offices and manuscript collections, and creating displays using materials from our Archives.

If you are interested in history, religion/theology, and archives or libraries, this is the perfect job for you! Login to KatieCareer and learn more.

Review of applications for the undergraduate position will begin February 15th and the deadline to apply is Sunday, February 21st.

Review for the graduate position will begin February 22 and the deadline to apply is Sunday, February 28th.

Archives Display: Women in Science

Attention all Science Students, this one is for you!

This month the St. Kate's Archives & Special Collections wanted to highlight women in science-- especially our very own! St. Catherine students have always been dedicated to exploring the natural and physical sciences. In the 1940s, a student club dedicated to the sciences was created and called Mendel Forum. This club was geared towards students majoring in the sciences, but also encouraged these students to be active in learning and engaging with all the sciences offered on campus.

The  display also features the scales, made out of horn, used and gifted by Sister Antonius Kennelly for her work on her Ph.D in Munich, Germany. We like to think Sister Antonius would be very proud of all the women doing amazing work in our science departments today!

The display features a wide variety of Mendel Forum artifacts, but we are missing artifacts and papers from modern science clubs! If you are a participant in any science club, please contact the Archives & Special Collections and learn how you can get your club's story preserved!

For more information, visit the Archives online or in person in Room 62 of the Library, open Monday-Friday from 9:30-4:30.

This Week in St. Kate's History: May 4th Matters

May 9, 1970 Pioneer Press headline

On May 4, 1970 four students of Kent State University were fatally shot and nine were wounded by Ohio National Guardsmen. Today we remember our fallen peers and the terrible loss of life that day 45 years ago.

Following the shootings, St. Kate's students, staff, and faculty joined together with more than 1,250 other universities to stand in solidarity with Kent State.

Students voted 510-410 against a general social and academic strike. But 110 students who voted against the strike still wanted some form of positive action. This feeling, combined with the enthusiasm of the 410 students supporting a strike, caused the student government to call for prayers, letters to Congress, and cancellation of all social events.  The cancellations included May Fete, the end of year celebration we now call Dew Drop Bop.

On May 9, 1970 many St. Kate's students and faculty marched from campus to the Capitol steps--joining protesters from 9 other schools along the way.  Together Archbishop Leo Byrne and Governor Harold LeVander declared Sunday, May 10 a day of prayer for those at Kent State and everyone affected by the war.

Classes continued as scheduled, although many discussions centered around what happened at Kent State. While May Fete was cancelled, booths were still set up.  But instead of the usual food and games, they provided students phone numbers and addresses of congressmen.

Students also held prayer vigils in the chapel, participated in 36 and 60 hour fasts, and gathered signatures from the Highland Park area for a petition calling for the removal of American troops in Cambodia.

Read the full article about St. Kate's students and their response to Kent State on the Digital Collections. To learn more about other institutions who protested the shootings at Kent State search #May4Matters on Twitter or Facebook and visit the photo website.

Archives Display: Encore! Theater at St. Kate's

As St. Catherine University continues its 2013-2014 Theater Season with productions of School House Rock Live! (April  11th-13th) and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (May 7th and 10th), check out the library display for a look at past theater productions, courtesy of the the University Archives. 

Learn more about The Laboratory Players, a student drama club founded in 1931, and peruse photos and programs from The Wizard of Oz (1937), Cry Havoc (1944), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1967).

The Wizard of Oz, 1937.

This display will be up during the month of April on the main level of the St. Paul Library, in the case right before the video carrels.

Archives Display: New Student Life Through the Years

New students in 1963 purchase their beanies

Welcome new students! While you're becoming familiar with St. Kate's, stop by the St. Paul Library and see the display of items from the University Archives. The photographs, documents, and objects illustrate student life from the early years to the 1970s. Compare your experiences today with the past. Did you know:

• The first Katies didn't need to do laundry--their board included the washing of 15 pieces a week. However, "fancy undearwear and starched goods [could] not be laundered at the College."
• In the 1940s, students were asked to use the elevators for going up only, not down. They were reminded: "Riding up saves your breath--but walking down saves your figure."
• Up until the early 1970s, first years wore beanies labeled with their name during orientation week.

The display Beanies and Big Sisters: Early Student Life will be up during the month of September on the main level of the St. Paul Library, in the case right before the video carrels.

Surviving the End of the Semester

The end of the semester is upon us and, for many students, that means final exams and papers. Stop by the library for:

• help with research
• citing
• or just a quite place to study and relax
  (the St. Paul Library will be open until MIDNIGHT through May 23).

Also see these study tips and advice for finals week:

• O'Neill Center for Academic Achievement - Check out their Study Skills on their website (KateWay login required) or stop by for help
• Surviving Finals Week from University of the Pacific - Tips for taking finals and not freaking out 
• Guide to Surviving Finals from Harvard's Flyby newsblog - Practical advice (like staying off Facebook) 
• Surviving Finals from College Magazine - Avoid distractions

Are you in The Reflective Woman?

We're here to help with all your assignments, including research for TRW. Check out the library's online guide to resources for TRW.

• The Reflective Woman - Resources for Research

Graduation and Beyond!

Graduation is May 22 and 23, but don't let your St. Kate's connections end there. Become a member of the Friends of the Libraries and continue your use of the St. Catherine Libraries with a Friends' library card.

Go to:

• Hot Topics: Graduation - for information on St. Kate's and beyond
• Friends of the Libraries - for more about the organization

Do you have fond memories of either the St. Paul or Minneapolis campus libraries?
Leave us a comment!

That Time of Year

Yes, it's back to school time. You can tell by the brisk sales of sweaters and jeans (despite temps still in the 70s and 80s) and by the rows and rows of Crayola at Target. For those of us in higher education (whether a freshman, a grad student, or a professor), back to school means more than just new shoes. It also means buying books, remembering your username and password, and making sure your alarm clock will get you up for your 8 a.m. class.

The Libraries are here to help with a few of those things. Check out our Back to School page and stop by the Library next time you're on campus.