Did you know there is a reference librarian specifically for Pratt Engineering students? I had the opportunity to sit down with Deric Hardy, where I learned about using the library resources and how reference librarians, like Deric, can help students in their career search.
Deric Hardy is a reference librarian, specifically for the Pratt School of Engineering. He helps students, faculty, and staff in Pratt to help accomplish their research and academic goals along with help in their search process. Reference librarians focus on being approachable and inclusive to all students.
About Deric
Deric was born and raised in Northampton County in North Carolina. He completed his undergraduate degree in Life Sciences at Winston Salem State. He also completed his master’s degree in Agriculture Education at NC A&T and master’s degree in Librarian Information Science at UNC-Greensboro. He enjoys engaging with students and understanding their background and concerns to help them succeed in their studies. He wishes someone mentored him about a science career, and he believes informational research and helping students is what led him into science librarianship.
Utilizing the Library in Your Search Process
Because Deric comes from a science background, he can relate when students need reference assistance and provide quick help with their research needs. Here are a few pieces of advice Deric shared with me.
- Google can be used for doing any searches if you know “how” to search, specifically using search strings. Don’t know what search strings are? Deric can help.
- If an engineering student needs career or profession related assistance (think learning more about specific fields, roles, and organizations), Deric can help with search strategy and get in touch with the business library.
- For your search, Deric suggests using the Ford Library resources. The Ford Library is the library for the Fuqua Business School, where students can use various resources to get market research, analysis, and information about companies. For example, if students are curious about a specific start-up and need to find background information about the start-up, the Ford Library database can be helpful. Students can reach out to the reference librarian and receive help to get access to the business research databases. Here is a curated list of business intelligence tools shared by Pratt Reference librarians.
- He’s also here to help ensure databases are being used appropriately and get approved usage to certain databases for students. If there is a Duke database you’re using but know there is more it can do, ask Deric for a tutorial on how to make it work the best for you. If you’re curious if a Duke database exists for a specific type of research you’re doing in your search, reach out to Deric.
As a current student (when I wrote this), my big takeaway is that individuals should feel comfortable and aware libraries are here and can email Deric (deric.hardy@duke.edu) for help in their search process. Many thanks to Deric for his time, and the support he provides to Pratt Engineering students!
About the author:
Nicole Posesorski is a December 2023 graduate from the Master of Engineering Management program at Pratt.
