Who’s Who at BC Libraries: Weitao Liu

Class year

Undergraduate, Class of 2020.

Major/Minor

I am double-majoring Philosophy and English and double-minoring Music and Economics. Since I am a senior in the honors program housed in the Philosophy department, I am writing a thesis on time, drawing ideas mostly from Kant, Hegel, and Freud.

Hometown

I am from Wuhan, a city in the People’s Republic of China, and I went to high school in Columbia, South Carolina, so that would count as my second hometown.

What is your role at Boston College Libraries?

I work in the digital studio in O’Neill Library as a student assistant. Duties primarily consist of troubleshooting software issues that patrons may have, taking reservations for workstations and spaces, and maintaining the normal function of printers and other accessories.

Hobbies & clubs

I play the violin and have been involved in the Chamber Music group for several semesters. I am also the managing editor for Dianoia, the undergraduate philosophy journal of Boston College. These two activities take up most of my free time.

Dreams? Ambitions?

I am applying to law school now, so hopefully I will have a career in legal services.

What’s your favorite thing about the library you learned after you started working here? 

I have met many library staff members after I started working here, so my favorite thing about the library is to have a chance to work with these fantastic and friendly people. It is like an organic compact, where all sections of the library are interdependent.

What are your go-to library resources?

I have had many research paper assignments over the past three years and I am also writing a senior thesis in the field of philosophy. In the past, I would spend a lot of time talking to some librarian specialists before starting my research. They always helped me to narrow down my topics and sources, thus making my research much easier and more efficient. While conducting my research, I always start on the library home page, where I am able to get an idea of the scope of my project. Inter-library loan has also been helpful for me when BC did not have a book that I needed, and it is fairly quick to fulfill a request. Specific databases are also helpful, and they are included in the Research Guide embedded in O’Neill library’s home page.

What advice would you give another student about using BC Libraries?

I would recommend consulting a librarian before conducting any research by yourself, in that one can easily get distracted by many irrelevant sources. During one’s research project, it is also important to keep track of the sources, so using Zotero or RefWorks can be handy.

What strategies might you share with other working students about balancing work in the library with the rest of your academics?

I am grateful for the job I have in the digital studio, in that I can perform many duties while sitting at the front desk. During the hours that there are only few students using the work stations, I can use this time to study if there are no immediate assignments from my supervisors. When I work at a busy hour, I just have to plan things ahead and manage my academic work more efficiently.

How has working here changed your perspective as a student?

I used to take things for granted in terms of resources in the library, but after I started working, I became more grateful for all the work that everyone has contributed here. While students would complain about the frequent malfunctions in printing, public computer software, and other technical issues, the working staff are equally frustrated and always try to solve these difficulties in the most effective ways.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever encountered at BC library?

I would not call it unusual, but I do find that in the quiet study area, some students seem to take more liberty in talking to each other out loud.