Law Library of Congress Internship Summary

Raegan Benda

Supervisor: Jennifer Gonzalez

Total Hours: 120 (Will be completed by 12/12/25. I have 16 hours left.

Just having the opportunity to write that I have interned at the Law Library of Congress is not something I thought would be possible this time last year. I've seen so much growth in myself in this last semester, in my skills as an aspiring librarian, my education, my time management skills and my ability to navigate quick change, to name a few. Overall, I feel incredibly blessed to have had this opportunity and to have developed and learned a new skillset that I will take with me into my future endeavors as a law librarian.

What I learned:

I learned so much during this experience! On the more technical side, I learned about Congressional bill summaries, the many types of them, the metadata points that make them up, how to edit the metadata per section and how to adjust and read text files for those bill types. I learned all about the vocabulary and terms for editing these files - which honestly, was probably the hardest part! On another note, I learned how to better manage my time. This semester, I was enrolled in 12 credit hours, along with this internship and another internship! I was extremely busy! I learned how to manage my time to ensure I am taking care of assignments and responsibilities, while also taking the time for my personal and social life. I learned how to implement constructive feedback, and that I actually prefer that kind of feedback to other kinds. There are surely things I have learned that I have missed in this post, but truly this experience gave me insights to so much more than just the work I completed.

How I struggled:

There are many moments where I struggled during this internship. First, it took me many hours to understand the instructions and apply them to my assignments. I had a very difficult time reading instructions, and needed to fail and make mistakes to actually learn how to complete the assignments. Additionally, I had moments where I struggled with technology. I had a few instances where the text editor or google drive didn't save edits I made, which was frustrating and lent me to having to re-do edits I had already made. Also, as much as I learned how to manage my time, I also struggled with that! I had to fail in the beginning of the semester to succeed, and it took me being extremely diligent with my schedule to ensure I was meeting all of my responsibilities.

The Surprises:

I was surprised at how much I liked the methodic nature of this work. It's a lot of repetitiveness, which I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy. Surprisingly, I felt calmed by this type of work. It was easy, once I learned the requirements, to sit down and tackle an assignment. It was almost passive in a way, as I was able to complete an assignment and make edits without having to think as much about what I was doing. I also am surprised about how much meaning I find in the work. There's so much to say about accessing information and metadata plays a huge part. Without accurate metadata, so many people cannot access the information they seek. I have found that this really means a lot to me and I will take this with me in my future career.

Expectations vs. Reality:

Coming into this internship, I didn't have many expectations. I knew I was going to be challenged and that I would need to manage my time well to be successful. I would say that both of these things were reality. One point that is interesting is that I didn't know which team I was going to be assigned to helping before I applied and was selected for the position. So Congressional Bill Summary metadata was not something I necessarily expected but something that I have found to enjoy. I think the reality of the work of this internship did meet the few expectations that I had. I have had the opportunity to work at one of the most prestigious libraries in the world - and for that I am forever thankful!

Overall, this experience has been fundamental to my career as a librarian both personally and professionally. I will look back at this experience with fondness, seeing how much growth I experienced and how I was able to overcome hardship. I feel truly blessed to have had this opportunity and I look forward to seeing how this opportunity will continue to serve me in the future.