Internship Alumni Files: Taylor Burnette

In the summer of 2023, Taylor Burnette joined the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service as the Outreach Intern, working with Outreach and Advocacy Manager Lauren Singer Katz to connect Utah’s history and records with the public.

Since completing her internship, Taylor has earned her Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University Bloomington and recently began her new role as the Reference, Instruction and AI Librarian at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio.

Although Taylor now works in academic libraries, her path to archives began with journalism. After earning her journalism degree in 2023, she realized she was more interested in the “Information” side of her “News and Information” specialization.

During her senior year at Ohio University, Taylor worked as a social media editor under Digital Initiatives Coordinator Janet Carleton. The experience showed her the importance of helping communities connect with collections and sparked her interest in information institutions. When she came across the Outreach Intern position at the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service, she saw an opportunity to apply her journalism skills in a new environment.

One project from Taylor’s internship has stayed with her ever since: the Utah Archives Month 2023 online exhibit Food in the Desert, an interactive map highlighting historic grocers, butchers, and bakers in Salt Lake City.

“Working together with such incredible collaborators to help create an informative and fun interactive map about grocers, butchers, and bakers in Salt Lake City was a unique experience I’ll never forget. And how cool are those billheads Lauren collected?”

The internship also helped shape Taylor’s next steps. She says the experience inspired her to apply for the Railsback Fellowship for Library Engagement at Indiana University Libraries, where she spent nearly two years sharing the work of the library’s faculty and staff.

Taylor continues to draw on what she learned during her internship.

“As a librarian, a big part of my job is effectively communicating with users, and this internship absolutely helped me develop the professional communication skills I use today.”

When reflecting on her internship, Taylor says what stands out most isn’t a specific project, but the people.

“I wish I knew how supportive and welcoming everybody was of interns! I was nervous because I was just coming out of undergrad, and I was very new to the world of archives and records. But everybody very graciously answered my questions and helped me along the way.”

Her advice for future interns is to ask questions, take advantage of the opportunity to learn from the people around you, and embrace experiences outside your comfort zone.

Outside of work, Taylor enjoys spending time with her cat, Little Man, who has a favorite pastime of his own: going on walks outside on a leash.

Congratulations, Taylor, on earning your Master of Library Science degree and beginning your new role at Muskingum University! Thank you for sharing your story with us. We’re proud that the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service internship program was one chapter in your journey, and we’re excited to see where your career takes you next.