Since September, students who visited the Boston Latin School library have likely crossed paths with Mr. Phil Whitney.
As a library intern, Mr. Whitney juggles many day-to-day tasks, such as supervising praefects, checking in students and organizing the Keefe Library’s displays.
His position is funded by the Keefe family, and he is the third graduate student to hold this position. BLS librarian Ms. Deeth Ellis explains, “Afterschool has always been a challenge, because we needed a second person to work after school. Around [the] COVID-19 year, […] we decided to use some of the funding to pay for an intern — a graduate student who has some level of expertise.”
Mr. Whitney is currently a dual-degree student at Simmons University. He is pursuing a master’s degree in library and information science and history. This experience has equipped him for his work in the library.
His assistance as an intern has earned appreciation, not just among the librarians and the students who enjoy his work, but also by the library praefects. Charlie Hoang (II), who has served as a praefect in the Keefe Library for two years, remarks, “With Mr. Whitney’s help, tasks like shelving and organizing books, as well as creating engaging slideshows that immediately catch your attention when you walk into the library have been accomplished efficiently.”
Mr. Whitney has notably infused elements of his love for history into his everyday work. He played a large role in the Keefe Library’s Martin Luther King (MLK) Day Celebration by looking into the history of MLK’s time in Boston.
He spearheaded the renewal of displays toward the front of the Keefe Library, updating them in time for special events such as Women’s History Month. To do so, he utilized elements from the BLS Archive.
In addition, Mr. Whitney has worked on collection development in the library. Over the past year, he has assisted with updating the Keefe Library collection, sifting through the immense collection and analyzing each book’s status. He established the “Local History” section in the library, where students can find many books about the history of Boston.
Mr. Whitney also implemented other small yet significant changes around the library. He has created slideshows at the front of the library, made small adjustments to how books are displayed and compiled lists of new books for the library to acquire.
He has served as a leader in the library as well as a mentor and role model for praefects. Hoang states, “Mr. Whitney has always been a very helpful and kind person. If I’m ever late to praefecting, he always covers for me and makes sure people are being signed in the moment the school day ends. As an adult, he has also provided advice about topics like school, sports and hobbies.”
Outside interning at BLS, Mr. Whitney’s favorite thing to do is to walk through the art exhibit on the top floor of the Boston Public Library to look at all of the different paintings and examine different religious imagery.
Mr. Whitney ultimately hopes to gain experience and connections from BLS and is looking forward to becoming a librarian who can help people on a more individualized level. In the future, his dream job would be to work in an academic or art-focused setting.
Regarding his favorite part of his internship at BLS, Mr. Whitney concludes, “[I love] helping a student find a book. They always come a little panicked but more relieved once they actually find a way to get to it.”