Meet our Students

Andrew Anderson

As a past student assistant in his hometown library, Andrew naturally sought employment in the Kennedy Library his freshman year. After two years at the circulation desk, he moved to the information technology group. Andrew is a computer workstation and server expert and was heavily involved last summer in relocating and setting up the new PolyConnect Computer Lab in the 24-Hour space.

Andrew is a member of the Flight Simulator Club and enjoys giving tours and demonstrations of the simulator to visiting middle and high school groups. He recently acquired his license as a private pilot. He enjoys working in the library because of the challenge of coordinating projects with several groups and because of the close relationship he has developed with library staff.

Jennifer Dale

Jenni has been working in reference since 2006. Her job duties include assisting students and faculty with the utilization of computer software and various online databases and answering questions on the research process. When she's not in the library or studying, Jenni enjoys running, hiking, and camping as well as substitute teaching for preschool.

Jenni believes one of the best perks of working in the Library is being surrounded by amazing library science professionals who have given her invaluable support and tutoring in library resources. "And, who would not love being surrounded by books?" After graduation, she will work toward licensure as a marriage and family therapist. After reducing her student loans, a second degree in public policy may be in her future.

Alexander Donoghue

Alex joined the library staff his freshman year and has been working in building services for five years. He provided valuable assistance in recent years during the first and second floor renovations relocating shelves and furniture. He is also responsible for setup and take-down for library events such as the popular Science Café series and the library exhibits.

For three years, Alex was a member of the triathlon club. He prefers to use his bike as his transportation around town and doesn't own a car. His longest bike ride was from Monterey to San Luis Obispo. Alex enjoys listening to public radio, especially jazz, and is a frequent reader of the Architectural Record. He also spent a summer working on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland (a particle accelerator). After graduation, Alex would like to be involved in research.

Laura Sorvetti

Laura's curiosity and love of Cal Poly history drew her to conduct research in Special Collections and University Archives, not knowing it would lead to a job in the department. Her responsibilities include the preservation of paper collections and uploading digital work to the university's online archive, DigitalCommons@CalPoly. "Because of my work in Special Collections, I've seen the possibilities of being an educator in places outside the classroom."

Laura received her undergraduate degree from Cal Poly in history and liberal studies and her current research focuses on the evolution of the printing industry. She is involved with the Cal Poly Trombone Choir, serves on the leadership team of history fraternity Phi Alpha Theta and the editorial board of The Forum history journal. She serves as the assistant curator at the Shakespeare Press Museum and moonlights as a substitute teacher in local schools.

Tyson Tate

Tyson Tate, who graduated in 2009, worked in the Library's IT department as a student assistant web designer and developer, with duties ranging from simplifying multiple online workflows to serving on the Web redesign team. He started his job in the Library as a junior. In addition to key programming work, he has been involved with the redesign of PolyCat, DataGenie, Kennedy Library Web sites, course reserves workflow, and the new Library blogs.

What does Tyson like about working in the Library? "There are so many things," he said. "I've had some great opportunities to increase my skills and work on real-world projects. When I start a job search, I'll have already had some great work experience." He adds that flexible work hours and great coworkers are additional benefits. "Everyone in this office is an absolute pleasure to work with."