The faculty and staff of the University Libraries have created many opportunities for students to enrich their college experience and help them find a professional or career direction. One such example is Gabi Kirilloff, who was lucky enough to work as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities (CDRH) while obtaining her doctorate in English.
Kirilloff worked on the Willa Cather Archive and its Complete Works of Willa Cather project, which will soon publish over 3,000 letters written by the American author. During the assistantship between 2013 and 2018, Kirilloff helped to encode these letters and get the project off the ground.
“I can’t say enough great things about the experience, it created a supportive space and community where I could get feedback that helps me succeed in the real world today,” Kirilloff said. Kirilloff gained experience writing grant letters, working in research teams, and tech skills that she still uses today.
Kirilloff worked with many team members on this project but wanted to thank Andrew Jewell; the former Editor and current Advisory Editor of the Willa Cather Archive, a Professor of the University Libraries, and Co-Director of the CDRH and Kirilloff’s mentor; and Emily Rau, Assistant Professor of the Libraries Fellow in the CDRH; for being great mentors.
The CDRH is a program sponsored by the Libraries and the College of Arts and Sciences to build digital content and systems to spread knowledge of the humanities. These highlighted projects can range from African Poetry to stories of Nebraska Holocaust survivors.
“I’ve worked with students for many years, and it is important to me that they learn and gain valuable experience while contributing to the research project. It’s all about growth, and I hope our project provides that for students,” said Jewell.
“They influenced me greatly and taught me a lot, I liked the experience a lot,” said Kirilloff.
Kirilloff is now working at Washington University in St. Louis as an assistant professor of English. Kirilloff says she still uses the knowledge she gained in the internship and recommends it to anyone who wants to get experience working in archiving and research.
At the University Libraries, we help students succeed with mentoring and providing students experiential learning opportunities.