Thalia Lightstone: Reflections on Being a Librarian-in-Residence

Today’s guest post is a reflection from Thalia Lightstone, one of eight 2025-26 Librarians-in-Residence at the Library of Congress. The Librarian-in-Residence program was created for newly graduated MLIS students to gain professional experience while contributing meaningfully to the work of the Nation’s library. Read her interview from last year here.

When I began library school, the Library of Congress was not a part of my career path. I grew up in California, completed my undergraduate degree in Boston, and earned my MLIS at the University of Washington in Seattle. As graduation approached, I was focused on full-time positions on the West Coast and assumed that was where I would stay. We all know how that turned out…

I attended an information session about the Librarian-in-Residence program in early 2025. What immediately stood out to me was its structure: a defined term, built-in professional development, and the opportunity to explore different divisions within the largest library in the country. The idea of moving to Washington, D.C., permanently had never crossed my mind before, but committing to ten months of growth and exploration felt possible.

Before I even received an interview, I found myself browsing apartments in D.C. I realized that if I was offered the opportunity, I would say yes. When the offer came, I accepted quickly, aware that just weeks earlier I had imagined a completely different post-graduation path. Sometimes professional growth begins with saying yes before feeling entirely ready.

I began the program just one week after graduation. Having gone straight from undergraduate studies to graduate school, this was my first full-time professional role. (Spoiler: I picked the best one possible). I arrived both excited and deeply aware that I was about to be a part of something much larger than anything before. There was a whirlwind of new information during orientation, and I met the other seven people who would be part of my cohort. We were whisked through the tunnels (which I still get lost in) and given a great tour by the program manager, Donna Sokol. A few weeks later, we met the Acting Librarian in Congress, Robert Newlen, which showed me that even at an institution of this scale, leadership remains accessible.

I joined the Digital Content Processing section within the Digital Collections Management & Services Division, expecting something like cataloging digital materials. My prior internships had been at smaller institutions, where one person often guided a resource from acquisition to access. I assumed digital processing at a larger institution might be similar, but at a larger scale. What I encountered at the Library of Congress was something far more specialized and interconnected. The scale of the Library necessitates distinct divisions, each responsible for a specific stage in the lifecycle of a resource. I began to understand that digital access is not a single action, but a coordinated system of workflows, metadata standards, quality control, and preservation strategy. For a physical book, processing may culminate in placing the item on a shelf. For a digital resource, the journey is less visible and more complex. How does a file move from my computer to an internal system to being discoverable and accessible to a researcher across the world on loc.gov? In Digital Content Processing, I learned that this transition depends on careful metadata creation, structured workflows, and attention to detail. Contributing to that process reshaped how I understand digital librarianship. There isn’t just a passive maintenance of digital content, but an active infrastructure that we’re constantly building.

As I grew more familiar with these systems, I took on the manual e-journal processing project. I developed a spreadsheet with customized metadata fields designed to track the manually processed titles. It required anticipating future questions, users, and staff needs. Over time, I processed more than fifty journal titles comprising of thousands of individual issues, gaining a deeper appreciation for the labor that is required to make digital scholarship accessible. I also felt proud of the work I was doing, knowing that my work would directly support researchers accessing these journals worldwide made the effort feel meaningful beyond personal growth.

Eventually, I presented my Power Lunch on this very process. The Power Lunch is the final presentation we do at the end of the formal part of the LIR program. Preparing the presentation allowed me to reflect on the technical workflow that will be helpful to others in the future. You can checkout one of the titles I processed here at this link on loc.gov.

One of the most distinctive aspects of the Librarian-in-Residence program is the intentional space it creates for exploration and professional development. While my daily work was based in the John Adams Building, I had opportunities to tour reading rooms and divisions across the Library’s three Capitol Hill buildings. This has been, in my opinion, the most unique aspect of the LIR program and I appreciate it a lot. Especially when I was able to go up and see the Main Reading Room from all these different angles and perspectives.

What I value most about the program is how thoughtfully it supports the transition from student to full time professional. Having moved directly from my undergraduate studies to graduate school, I had never experienced a professional full-time job before. The combination of mentorship, professional development sessions, division tours, and cohort collaboration created an environment where growth was expected and supported. These efforts helped me learn how to navigate a large institution, communicate across departments and begin shaping my long-term career goals. The division tours left a lasting impression on me. One of the coolest, the Geography and Map Division tour, stood out because of the sheer volume and historical significance of its collections. Seeing centuries of cartographic history in one place underscored how knowledge is recorded and preserved in many different formats. The Manuscript Division was equally powerful in a different way. Viewing handwritten documents created a tangible connection to the individuals who shaped history. Both experiences deepened my appreciation for the scope of the Library’s stewardship and the responsibility that comes with preserving cultural memory. We also had a full day field trip to the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (NAVCC) in Culpeper, VA. Truly the highlight of my time here! We got to see the evolution of film and audio through time, starting with analog film and wax cylinders and how they’re still usable today.

The 2025 cohort became one of the most meaningful parts of this experience. Each of us worked in different divisions, which meant that our conversations often became opportunities to learn about parts of the Library we would not otherwise encounter. We tried to have lunch together regularly, sharing updates about our projects and discussing the skills we were developing. Through those conversations, I gained a broader understanding of how divisions collaborate to support access and preservation across the institution.

Beyond the professional exchange, my cohort members became an important source of personal support. Many of us relocated to D.C. for the program, adjusting to a new city while beginning demanding roles. Several members of the cohort had more professional and life experience than I did, and their guidance often felt like advice from older siblings. Together we explored the city and built friendships outside of work, attending ZooLights at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, participating in restaurant week, and visiting museums throughout D.C. Those shared experiences made the transition smoother and reminded me that professional growth is strengthened by community.

While I will return to the West Coast, I carry with me a new perspective on librarianship. My time at the Library of Congress revealed the invisible work that sustains access to knowledge possible on a global scale. The experience strengthened my appreciation for the work librarians do every day to preserve cultural memory and ensure that information remains accessible for generations to come. The skills, relationships, and insights I gained through the Librarian-in-Residence program will guide me in every role I take on moving forward.