This summer sees the return of our popular Creative Digital Publications Program! We are fortunate to have 40 students in the program this year, which includes nearly daily webinars about the writing process, librarianship, legal research, career paths, legal and accessibility issues, and the Library of Congress. Special thanks to our colleagues in the Internships and Fellowships Program and the Legal Research Institute for offering many of these webinars.
Our group is half comprised of students or graduates from master’s of library and information science (M.L.I.S.) programs. Nearly one-third of our students are pursuing their undergraduate degrees and nearly 10% are pursuing a J.D. or Ph.D. Almost one quarter of our participants have or are pursuing a master’s degree not related to library science!
Of our 40 interns, 37.5% are returning after at least one previous semester. We have divided our participants into four groups, with an experienced mentor leading the group. Today’s group is led by Judith Maas.
Judith Maas is a graduate of Rutgers University and Boston College, where she studied American history and literature. Her work experience has been in the publishing (writing and editing) and library fields. Her writing projects have included book reviews, feature articles, and teaching materials; her editorial experience was primarily in the area of business at journals and magazines. In the library field, her second career, she has been a generalist, handling reference, interlibrary loans, acquisitions, serials, and cataloging responsibilities. She has also tutored adult students in English composition, business writing, and English as a second language. Her interests include travel, piano, tennis, and studying languages.
Hassan Alnafisah is a dedicated law student from Saudi Arabia, currently furthering his legal education at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. After earning his bachelor’s degree in law with honors in Saudi Arabia, Hassan chose to continue his studies driven by a deep conviction in the importance of justice. He firmly believes that justice is the greatest and most rational virtue, with the legal profession playing a crucial role in its establishment. Hassan has enriched his legal knowledge by undertaking numerous courses in the field and has applied his skills in both governmental and private sectors within his country. His professional experiences have strengthened his commitment to the principle that the renaissance of any nation depends significantly on its youth’s dedication and the fair application of the law.
Trisha Baillon is from Texas, and is currently a student at Seton Hall University (SHU), working on a degree in international relations and diplomacy with a minor in Russian and Eastern European studies. She hosts a global news podcast through SHU and is passionate about international law and researching current events. When she’s not reading for class, Trisha enjoys going to plays and concerts with friends, baking, and exploring museums in NYC!
Sheila Cail currently lives in Massachusetts although that could change at any moment. She graduated with an M.L.I.S. from Valdosta State University and a B.A. in comparative literature from the American University of Paris. Paris remains forever on her short list for next moves. She works at Tufts University in web services, has a great fondness for academia, an addiction to learning, and is always taking a class in something. With some luck and a bit of intention, all these classes will transform into a second master’s degree. She consumes vast amounts of speculative fiction and, on occasion, writes some of her own, always with monsters.
Rebecca Goldfarb is currently a rising 3L at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. Her legal interests comprise of copyright, trademark, and regulatory law. She is intrigued by the creative outlets used by the law, which is what drove her to the Library of Congress. She graduated from Brandeis University in 2021 with a double major in business and media, culture, and communications and a double minor in legal studies and creative writing. When Rebecca isn’t immersing herself in the law, she enjoys outdoor recreation activities, reading, hanging out with friends, and seeing live music.
Michelle Hurt grew up and currently resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas, although she was born in the Philippines (she is 95% fluent in Tagalog). She received her B.A. in political science from the University of North Texas and will graduate with her M.S. in information science from the same school next spring. Michelle previously worked in academia, but she now supports the work towards a just energy transition at an international environmental NGO. Her academic/professional interests include metadata, information access, and digital content management. Besides these, Michelle loves spending time with her husband and two sons, reading the latest novel by Gregg Hurwitz, and cooking fancy recipes (while still making them palatable for her children).
Elle Kim is from central Virginia and is a rising senior at William & Mary. Currently completing a B.A. in history, she has enjoyed exploring archives and libraries and currently aspires to become a paralegal. Her experience includes working with special collections at William & Mary and interning with the Bray School Lab. This summer, she is an archival intern with the National Archives at College Park. She finds historical records and birdwatching incredibly interesting.
Jewel Navia resides in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from California State University Los Angeles back in 2022 with a degree in political science. He served as a Law Library of Congress remote metadata intern in which he crafted HTML code and transcribed bills to make them accessible in Congress.gov. In his free time, he likes to write in his journal, draw on Procreate, and read historical nonfiction.
Jasmine Phillips recently completed her Master of Science in Information degree program, focusing on information organization and pursuing an information architecture certificate. While working on the degree, she began her volunteer history with the Law Library of Congress by joining the remote metadata program. Some of her interests include metadata for access and retrieval, improving the user experience, digital libraries and archives, and digital asset management. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature.
Becky Zarrella lives in Maryland and will receive her M.L.I.S. from the University of Maryland in August 2024. She is passionate about digital literacy, enhancing access to online collections, and contributing to scholarly projects about the psychosocial aspects of internet use. In her free time, she enjoys writing, fostering rescue dogs, and expanding her garden to attract native wildlife.
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