By Meghan O’LearyContributing Writer
University Career Services will open a satellite office, called the Career Lab, in the Core Reserve section of the Northwestern University Library by mid-October to make its resources more convenient for students, the program’s director said.
Career Services provides walk-in appointments, advising meetings and materials for researching majors, internship s, graduate programs and careers. The staff assists students with career decisions and advises them on their current academic goals.
“(The Career Lab) will be an extension of our services, and it will be available in the library in Core on the second floor,” said Lonnie Dunlap, director of Career Services.
The Career Lab will offer students the same materials as Career Services, including resources on writing resumes and applying for various careers and internships.
“I think that it will put a lot of career information in a central location, so it will be easy for students to stand and browse the materials we put in this area,” said Laurel Minott, Assistant University Librarian for Public Services.
The lab will be referred to as a satellite office because it will offer many of the same services as Career Services, while it will not be the main site for career materials, Dunlap said.
Students can make an appointment with one of the staff members to receive personal advising at Career Services. Otherwise, walk-in appointments are available Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at either office. The staff at the lab will include permanent staff and career peers – students trained to help with outreach programs.
Associated Student Government proposed the idea last year to the undergraduate budget planning committee, which provided the funds for the new career office.
“It is a joint venture between students, library staff and ourselves,” Dunlap said.
Minott said she agreed the satellite office will be useful to students and is happy the lab will be located in the library.
“We are excited about being able to offer space to a wonderful idea,” she said.
One of the main reasons for creating another office for career assistance was to make travel more convenient, Dunlap said. Career Services is located at the north end of campus at 620 Lincoln St.
By having two offices, the staff hopes to encourage new students who have never heard of Career Services to visit the office. The staff also believes students who have already visited the North Campus office will choose to visit the Career Lab at a more central location, Dunlap said.
Communication junior Jordan Grader, who previously visited Career Services to search for an internship, said she believes the resources are helpful to students.
“There are a lot of resources that are legitimate, which is hard to find on your own,” she said.
Grader said she also enjoyed speaking with the staff, since they knew how to help her find what she was looking for.
“If there were counselors (in the library), I would certainly still go talk to them,” she said. “It is much more convenient than to go up to Lincoln.”
The Career Lab will be open the same hours as the Core Reserve section of the Library. Undergraduates can check out materials for three weeks. The Career Services staff hopes to receive more student input about what the new office needs, Dunlap said.
“I think (the Career Lab) will enhance our services to students in a number of ways,” Dunlap said. “We will reach some students more often and we will reach students that we have not been able to reach previously.”
Reach Meghan O’Leary at [email protected].
