Back to Annual Report

Student Worker Uses Libraries Resources to Achieve Class of 2024 Dreams

She was the one who set the tone. The one who made the difference — creating that positive first impression that can only come once. Madeline Kretschmer ’24 fulfilled a vital role as a student worker in the Texas A&M University Libraries Administration Office.

There are six library locations in Texas A&M’s library system that also serve branches throughout Texas. Everything connects back to the administration office on the second floor of Evans Library in College Station and the student worker space that Kretschmer proudly occupied in spring 2024. As a telecommunications media studies major with a minor in business, she worked with vital service-focused departments at the Libraries.

“People forget there's so many operations within the library to keep it going,” Kretschmer said. “I’m kind of a little part of that.”

As a student, the Libraries were more to Kretschmer than a workplace. 

“It’s a place where you can make those classic college memories of studying late nights or just being all together,” Kretschmer said. “We’re all doing different things, work-related, school-related. But at the library, everyone can come together because we’re all trying to get the same thing done.”

In her two years as a student worker at the Libraries, the recent graduate honed skills she plans to take with her throughout her career, such as inventory management. 

“Working at the Libraries has been such a great experience,” Kretschmer said. “I'll miss it. Everybody here is so kind and welcoming. It's such a great job to have.”

Students pursuing higher education face unique challenges when it comes to work-life balance. 

“Your studies come first, and the Libraries understand that,” Kretschmer said. “If you are trying to look for a job, definitely become a student worker, especially at the library.”

As a recent graduate, Kretschmer advises future Aggies to use all the Libraries' resources, including reservable study rooms and electronic databases. 

“The databases helped me a lot,” Kretschmer said. “There are like 200,000 and I went through many of them to get the exact source I needed.”

For essay writing, she recommends taking advantage of the designated quiet third floor of Evans Library. 

Though Kretschmer has now graduated and is working in Houston, her desk remains occupied. A new student worker, following in Kretschmer’s footsteps, has begun their Aggie journey at the Libraries, and the circle of career and academic success at the Libraries continues.