University Libraries

By Maureen Schlangen

What students learn in the University Libraries doesn’t end when they finish their papers and turn in their projects.

After international studies and Spanish major Libby Durnwald took a semester-long library course on research methods, she was able to put her library skills to use in her summer internship with Catholic Relief Services in Washington, D.C.

“It really elevated the caliber of research I could do,” says Durnwald, who has taken missions to Guatemala, Mexico and Ecuador and plans to pursue a career abroad in international development. “During my internship, I was able to use research skills in ways they didn’t expect, and because I could use UD’s databases from Washington, I had access to library resources that a nonprofit wouldn’t typically have.”

Durnwald also has been active in Porch Reads, a popular donor-supported book club that started in 2005 to encourage leisure reading among undergraduates. 

“My parents instilled a love of books and reading,” she says. “For most college students, that usually translates into research materials and resources. With Porch Reads, you get a new book — free, and it’s a good book. Porch Reads is UD’s best-kept secret.”

Durnwald says that the library’s biggest fans call it “Club Roesch” and even use the hashtag #ClubRoesch in social media. 

“Students love the library, but it’s the resources and the people in it that make the libraries phenomenal,” says Durnwald.