MACON – Mercer University rising senior Drew Robertson was selected to participate in this summer’s Library of Congress Junior Fellows Program.
The full-time, 10-week summer internship program enables undergraduate and graduate students to experience the integrated analog and digital collections and services of the world’s largest, all-inclusive library. Working under the direction curators and specialists in various divisions, fellows explore digital initiatives and increase access to the institution’s unparalleled collections and resources.
Robertson is working with the Signature Programs Office in the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement to help plan and implement programming for the National Book Festival in September.
“I was honored to accept the position of Junior Fellow for this summer, and I am so excited to work with the Library of Congress and be a small part in helping plan the nation’s premier book festival,” said Robertson. “I am eager to use the lessons I have learned during my time at Mercer and to use my love of literature to aid in the festival coming together.”
A journalism and creative writing double-major from Statesboro, Robertson is interested in pursuing a master’s degree in children’s literature upon completing her bachelor’s degree.
At Mercer, she is a member of the Mercer Experience Team’s Student Leadership Team, editor-in-chief of The Dulcimer literary magazine, a Mercer Service Scholar and a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She has served as an editorial intern at Mercer University Press and received the Outstanding Student in Creative Writing Award at this year’s Honors Convocation.
“Drew is a gifted creative writer herself, but she also brings an array of talents and skills she’s developed at Mercer that are perfect for assisting in promoting the National Book Festival – journalism and media promotion, editing and an unbounded enthusiasm for introducing diverse literature to youth and adults,” said Dr. Mary Alice Morgan, professor and co-chair of English.
The Junior Fellows Program has been a signature initiative of the Library of Congress since 1991. The program is made possible by a gift from the late James Madison Council member Nancy Glanville Jewell through the Glanville Family Foundation and the Knowledge Navigators Trust Fund and by an investment from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The focus of the program is to increase access to special, legal and copyright collections, and to promote awareness and appreciation of the library’s services to researchers including Congress members, scholars, students, teachers and the general public.
Fellows inventory, catalog, arrange, preserve and research collections in varied formats, as well as assist in digital library initiatives. Upon completion of their assignments, they work closely with library curators and specialists to plan and present a display of their most significant discoveries and accomplishments.
About the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences serves as the academic cornerstone of one of America’s oldest and most distinctive institutions of higher learning. The oldest and largest of Mercer’s 12 schools and colleges, it is a diverse and vibrant community, enrolling more than 1,900 students, dedicated to learning and service through the practice of intellectual curiosity, respectful dialogue and responsible citizenry. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers majors in more than 30 areas of study, including more than a dozen pre-professional academic tracks, with classes taught by an outstanding faculty of scholars. In 2015, Mercer was awarded a chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society that recognizes exceptional achievement in the arts and sciences. For more information, visit liberalarts.mercer.edu.
