Library Student Workers Embark on New Journeys after Graduation

When Kahyun (Kate) Uhm came to Washington State University in 2023 to start her master of fine arts degree, she also became a research assistant for the WSU Libraries in not one, but two different jobs that broadened her academic experience in myriad ways.

In Holland Library’s Dimensions Lab, she helped build and set up the new Synth Lab, including assembling equipment and preparing the space for use, with Jason Anderson, a systems employee and staff adviser for the WSU Digital Audio Collective. Uhm and Anderson also created a series of free live electronic music concerts paired with open viewings of the night sky at WSU’s Jewett Observatory, called “Music for Observations,” in summer 2024.

In Terrell Library’s Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC), Uhm saw and held very old photographs and books as far removed from electronic music production as she could get. A native of Ansan, South Korea, Uhm worked with the Drucker Photographs of Korea and Japan, 1910–1940s Collection, which documents Korea during the period of Japanese rule, before its division into North and South Korea.

“I was particularly struck by the rarity of these images, as I had not expected to encounter early photographs of Korea in the archive,” she said.

Uhm also digitized volumes from the Gallup Collection, 20,000 rare books on angling, fishing, outdoor sports, and the environment ranging from the 1400s to present day. Her favorite book in the collection was Auvergne, Piedmont, and Savoy: A Summer Ramble (1850) because of its age and craftsmanship.

“The cover pattern, the texture of the paper, and the detail in the binding stood out to me,” she said. “Experiencing these elements gave me a deeper appreciation for how knowledge has been preserved for so long and how well the book has remained in such good condition.”

Uhm credits both her libraries’ roles as being instrumental in their own ways to her successful completion of her MFA thesis in mid-April, titled “After the Dust Unsettles.” According to her artist’s statement, the work encourages reflection in an era of geopolitical polarization. Sound-based psychological warfare between North and South Korea started during the Korean War (1950-53), continuing intermittently until a recent mutual pause in 2025. Reinterpreting this history as a musical score, the installation defines this current situation as a fermata—a symbol of musical notation referencing an indefinite pause, often appearing prior to the end of a movement. A fermata produces suspense while portending change.

“Working with these [library] materials has significantly informed and enriched both my academic work and my thesis installation,” she said.

This spring, WSU Libraries celebrates the upcoming graduations of one of the largest contingents of student employees in their history: Some 20 undergraduates will walk during the university’s May 9 Commencement at Beasley Coliseum. They take with them degrees across a wide spectrum of study, important job skills for the next part of their journey, and fond memories of their library employment.

Here are a few of our exiting student workers, who will be greatly missed.

Patrick Bekono

Patrick Bekono of San Diego, California, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing. He chose the major to gain skills and experience in digital marketing to understand the driving factors for what makes certain online ads we see every day successful and, more importantly, what doesn’t work. He plans to participate in an internship next, preferably in his hometown, while improving his pitching and technical skills.

Bekono started working at Holland and Terrell Libraries’ Access Services as a freshman in 2022, with plans to only work through fall semester. Four years later, he grew from a student worker to a staff assistant who interacted with all kinds of people, which he said has really improved his people skills. In addition, Bekono worked for the past two years to present libraries’ funding proposals to the WSU Pullman Student Technology Fee (STF) Committee, both successful. To see an interview with Bekono on STF funding, please see this libraries’ film.

“I was able to see firsthand how much of an impact the libraries have on students here at WSU,” he said. “I was also able to test out my marketing preparation in order to get the funding we requested from the STF organization. Overall, working at my own university’s libraries was such a unique and beneficial experience that I really don’t feel I could’ve gotten anywhere else, and for that, I will forever be grateful.”

Steinar Goheen

Steinar Goheen of Tumwater, Washington, attended WSU as an undergraduate and graduate student, graduating this week with a master’s degree in architecture. They plan to take the summer to reconnect with their hobbies before starting a master’s degree in historic preservation at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

As MASC’s audiovisual digitization specialist, Goheen handled materials they were very familiar with. They’ve collected old forms of media since middle school and have many “wacky tape machines in my collection.”

“My favorite part about working at MASC was being able to discover audiovisual materials from all sorts of collections, as these types of materials often go overlooked when pulling materials for researchers,” Goheen said. “There are many pieces of media that I digitized in which I was one of the few people to ever view them. This position fundamentally honed my interests in preservation and curatorial work, and I’m looking forward to developing this further at the University of Oregon.”

Emma Darnold

Emma Darnold of Walla Walla, Washington, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in humanities, with a primary focus in communication and a secondary focus in psychology. She plans to move back home to work over the summer with the Walla Walla Sweets as a baseball operations intern.

In August, Darnold will enroll in an online master’s degree in strategic communication program through WSU’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication and move to Florida as a part of the Disney College Program, serving a six-month internship in the Disneyworld parks.

Darnold has worked at Holland and Terrell Libraries’ Access Services since January 2025. As someone who has always been captivated by the world of literature, she said getting a job at the libraries allowed for a little piece of home to be here at school with her.

“Whether it has been reshelving, returning, or checking out books, I’ve enjoyed every aspect the libraries have offered me over the past year and a half,” she said. “Knowing that my imprint will remain on these books after graduation feels so fulfilling and impactful. I am so grateful for everything the library has offered me.”

Julia Lee

Julia Lee, born in Ulsan, South Korea, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and begin her master of science in information program at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor starting in August.

Lee has worked in MASC since March 2025, primarily digitizing and cataloging news clippings from the 1910s to the 1930s as part of the Wallis and Marilyn Kimble Northwest History Database, which focuses on Northwest and state history. She also assisted patrons at the reference desk, ensuring archival materials were handled safely and connecting users with specialized librarians when needed.

Lee said what fascinated her most about working at the WSU Libraries was the active culture of donation and civic archiving, adding that it was impressive to see how many people contact the libraries weekly to donate their personal collections.

“Coming from South Korea, where public libraries are primarily funded by the government, I was surprised to learn how significant individual donations and participation are to the operation of libraries here,” she said. “These experiences taught me that a library is not just a place to store information, but a dynamic and participatory space where the community builds and manages information together based on trust.”