Student Voices: Carrie Yang

Hi everyone! My name is Zihan Yang, most people know me as Carrie. I’m an international student from China and this is my third year at William & Mary (how time flies). Back home, I love to spend my free time at my high school’s library and the public library, so when I came to college, the first place I went to check out was the library. I immediately fell in love with our Swem library because it’s so beautiful and resourceful. The circulation desk is like Doraemon’s magic pocket, they have everything you need, from reserved textbooks (free!) to computer chargers (also free!) Ever since I was a freshman, I wished I could work at Swem and my dream came true last summer when I joined the Circulation team. It was my first job and I was very excited to move one step further into adulthood.

When I tell my friends I work at Swem, they often ask me “So what do you do?” Well basically, when you return books to Swem, I make sure they are put back onto the shelves. I love to organize things into order, so shelving is very enjoyable for me. Shelving not a difficult task after you get used to it, so sometimes I would use it as a sort of meditation practice. By focusing on the shelving task and not to think about anything else, I am able to clear out all the anxieties built up in my mind during school days and simply enjoy organizing the books.

Swem is a big library, I still get lost sometimes. So when I see people looking confused, I would go up and ask if they need any help. I helped many students and patrons to find the books they want, I helped people to push those hard-to-move shelves, and I helped a mother find the nursery room. One time a lady asked me if I could fix the printer for her and I did it (even though that was not in my job description). I love helping people and I feel so satisfied when I am able to help people navigate around Swem. So if you ever need help and you see me around, feel free to come ask me!