Emory Libraries is excited to announce the continuation of our annual summer internship program! Designed with career development in mind, the program offers emerging library professionals the chance to gain practical skills across a range of career areas, while bringing fresh perspectives to our work at Emory.
Summer 2025 marks Emory Libraries’ fourth year hosting summer internships. Originally, the program began in 2022 with a single intern in the Preservation department. In 2023 and 2024, two additional interns were hosted in the Access Services and Resource Description departments. Now, we are very fortunate to add a Collections internship, and a total of four interns will be joining our team this summer!
Nurturing future librarians
Beyond hands-on experience, Emory Libraries’ summer internships seek to nurture opportunities for mentorship and network-building in a supportive, growth-oriented environment. Over ten weeks, interns will work alongside later-career librarians, integrate into existing workflows, and ultimately gain a better appreciation for the day-to-day realities of working in an academic library.
Emory Libraries is proud to support this program during a time where such opportunities are urgently needed. As more and more early-career librarians seek pathways for entering the field of library and information sciences, our summer internships create unique and accessible entry points. Over the summer, Emory librarians will be excited to work with interns to build the skills and professional insights necessary for pursuing future career opportunities!
We are excited to introduce our summer interns!
The Access and Resource Services interns will be assisting in the following departments: collections, resource description, media preservation, and access services.
Faith Richmond (she/her) is the 2025 collections intern and is currently completing her Master of Library and Information Science degree and post baccalaureate certificate in Instructional Design at UNC-Greensboro. She works as a graduate assistant at Jackson Library’s Technical Services, specifically with NC DOCKS, UNCG’s institutional repository. She is also the president of LISSA (Library and Information Science Student Association), UNCG’s student chapter of ALA.
Being raised as a library kid, Faith understands the impacts that open access and diverse resources have. Working and learning in various experiences has allowed her to find ways to share those resources. She is excited to work with Emory Libraries to expand collections and create a student-led collections diversity pilot program.
Faith will work under the supervision of Chris Palazzolo, director of Collections and Open Strategies, and will focus on exploring Emory Libraries’ relationships with several local bookstores, researching and proposing a small fund for student-led collection development, and developing a display of some of our under-promoted print holdings.
Niel White (she/they) is a 2024 graduate of the University of Denver’s Master of Library and Information Science program. Combined with an undergraduate background in art history, their interests lie in working with collections from a variety of GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) institutions. In line with this interest, they are also currently working on receiving their Digital Archives Specialist certification through the Society of American Archivists.
As a member of the Society of Ohio Archivist’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (JEDAI) committee, Niel is also dedicated to improving GLAM collections for underserved communities. Niel hopes that their time interning with Emory University’s Woodruff Library will allow them to dive headfirst into reparative description needs within a highly utilized collection. In her free time, Niel enjoys trying new foods, supporting local cinema, reading, and spending time at home with her partner and three cats.
Niel will work with Sofia Slutskaya, the head of resource description at Woodruff Library, and Jude Romines (who was a summer intern last year and now works full time for Emory Libraries). They will be focusing on subject analysis of LGBTQ+ materials and the application of specialized terminology, such as Homosaurus, to improve the description and discoverability of LGBTQ+ library resources.
Johana Canales (she/her) is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) where she earned a master’s degree in library studies. During her time at SLIS, Johana was accepted into the EBSCO Scholars Program in Audiovisual Archiving and Preservation where she had the opportunity to take AV archiving centered courses and a year-long AV archiving internship at the University of Houston. Throughout graduate school, she also interned at the McGovern Historical Center, Brookwood Baptist Health Libraries, Texas Archive of the Moving Image, and Rice University.
Johana was involved with the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) student chapter, serving as treasurer, president, and founder of the chapter zine, the AV Club, that highlighted articles on student projects, preservation tips, and upcoming internship and scholarship opportunities. In her local community, she joined the Archivists of the Houston Area (AHA!) and became a board member in late 2024 serving under the membership committee.
She is excited to continue to earn hands on experience working with analog and digital formats and expand her knowledge in preserving and digitizing audiovisual collections at Emory this summer.
Johana will work with Nina Rao, head of media preservation. She will focus on the preservation and digitization of audio, video, and film materials in Emory’s special collections.
David Broom (he/him) is completing a Master’s in Library and Information Sciences at Valdosta State University. Previously, he worked at Live Oak Public Libraries as an assistant and later a supervisor. David has an interest in connecting patrons with the resources they need, especially those who may not always feel represented or included in traditional library spaces. Working at Live Oak deepened his commitment to fostering an inclusive, welcoming environment where all community members can thrive, and he is excited to cap off his MLIS by bringing his background to Emory’s Access Services internship.
David will work under the supervision of Lyndon Batiste, head of user services, and in collaboration with the user services team. His primary focus will be the development of a student leadership program for undergraduate student staff within the user services division. This program will emphasize leadership development, include peer-to-peer training and mentoring components, and provide opportunities for student leaders to engage with campus partners and represent user services across the university.
—by Jude Romines, senior resource description specialist, Robert W. Woodruff Library, Emory University