Brown University Library News

Angel Benjamin ‘25, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English and Visual Arts, talks with Ashley Champagne, Director of the Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS) at the Brown University Library, about her experience working as the Publicity Coordinator for CDS.

Ashley Champagne: Congratulations on graduating! Would you share a little about what your role was in CDS and what you learned in that role? 

Angel Benjamin: I was the Publicity Coordinator from fall 2024 to spring 2025 and handled social media and publicity for CDS events. It was great to receive professional experience that blended both of my majors together, which are English and Visual Arts. It was the first time where I had a chance to try something I’d never done before in a professional setting. I didn’t think I had any concrete skill set in publicity to be honest. I learned so much about event photography, social media posts, and writing for events. I loved creating something that had tangible deliverables at the end that made a big impact. I learned so much about the technique that goes into each of these aspects of publicity from taking event photos to creating flyers.  

That’s great. You mentioned learning new skill sets (e.g., event photography, writing posts). Can you say more about that?

The biggest thing I learned was how to adapt my writing voice with the branding and voice of CDS and the Library. I learned how to write posts for specific audiences. 

What was working at the Library like for you?

My job in the Library was different than I ever expected. The Brown Library does so much work and employs people who can offer so much more than access to physical books. I got to experience and work on community-based projects. It takes people from so many different backgrounds to put together the services and offerings the Brown Library gives the campus. I would encourage more people to get involved in libraries.

It’s great to hear that you had a window into the many aspects of work that staff at the Library do. Was there anything else that you learned? 

I learned about collaboration. One project I worked on was preparing flyers and information about a new initiative in CDS: community office hours. These office hours are offered each term by CDS staff and are open to anyone from the community to come and learn about digital scholarship from grant writing to thinking through your ideas to making a great digital humanities project. I was charged with creating the flyers for the community office hours, and I got to speak with Ben Tyler, a designer at the Library, about design ideas. We created an image together using the bear that is often used on Library promotional materials.

Collaboration is so important in so many positions, and certainly at the Brown Library! Do you have any advice for future undergraduates?

Try to find opportunities or make opportunities where you can build yourself up, learn new skills, and develop a portfolio. 

Thanks for that. That’s great advice. Is there anything else to share?

I learned about failure as well. It’s common to think that publicity is all about design skills, but there’s a huge planning aspect to the work as well. When do you need to get the publicity out? Who is your audience? These kinds of questions are central to the publicity itself. 

It was so satisfying to see people attend the events that I had worked on publicity for. It was great to see people enjoying themselves and asking questions. 

Thank you to Ashley Champagne, my supervisor, and the Library team!