Developing Life Skills
Cara Davis, ’13, Student Employee
“Before I worked at the WSU Libraries, I thought libraries just consisted of books, circulation desks, and reference librarians. My work on the Wallis and Marilyn Kimble Northwest History Database has taught me things I would never have thought about otherwise. I am thankful to work in an environment where I can contribute to an important resource AND build my critical thinking skills.”
Cara Davis started working at the WSU Libraries in October 2009. She was hired for her incredible typing skills – 90 words per minute! – to enter data for the Wallis and Marilyn Kimble Northwest History Database, a digital resource tool that provides online access to a deteriorating historical treasure. The database contains sources that describe a period of rapid growth and development in the history of the Northwest.
Cara scans articles of the often violent struggle of the emerging labor unions, as well as land use, reclamation, irrigation, farming and the development of dams and canals. Although hired for data entry, Cara also has to determine the most important themes in the articles and make high level indexing decisions. She says she never knew there was so much to learn about wheat!
Cara is from Issaquah, WA and is currently a sophomore studying theoretical mathematics. She loves her job because it’s so flexible. Balancing a class schedule, professors’ office hours, and review sessions can difficult all on their own, but throw in a job and it’s nearly impossible!
Her job at The Libraries supports Cara’s room and board. While parents are covering her tuition now, they want Cara to learn independence, so she’ll be fully supporting herself during her senior year at WSU.
