Internships are the Appetizers of the Library World So Nibble, Nibble, Nibble...
By Melissa Aho, Marcia Franklin, Susan Wakefield, and Sara Wakefield — June 6, 2006
No matter in what stage of your career or education you currently are internships can be a valuable experience. You never know what you might learn, where it might lead, and whom you might meet. All told, among all four authors, we have participated in 9 different aspects of internships at different periods in our library careers: in school, out of school and also while working. We have all participated in very different and unique library internships, as well as directed interns, and found solutions for when we have wanted internships and none were available. As with any endeavor, the key to a successful internship is to know what you're looking for, define your goals, and open your mind.
Typically when you hear the word internship you think of a young person bringing coffee for the boss and doing grunt work. But anyone who has been in a library school program knows that the MLS/MLIS student ranges in age from early 20's to those of us who decided to make a career change later in life. While doing menial labor is true of some internships, many other internships are far more involved. Bottom line: a good internship is an opportunity that will enrich your education and expose you to skills and duties that you may not have had in the past.
Why an internship?
There are many different reasons for participating in an internship. Maybe you're trying something new, expanding your knowledge in a particular area, adding to your résumé, or just trying to get your foot in the door early in your library career. All of these are excellent reasons to participate in an internship. An internship is a tool. It gives you experience to use when applying for your first job out of library school and can give you a sense of confidence going into your first fulltime position and can lead to contacts that may become life-long resources.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of an internship, however, is experience—and demonstrating to potential employers that you are willing to put in the time to get library experience. In any profession there is always that double-edged sword of "you need experience to get a job, but how do you get a job without experience?" Internships help you get that sought-after experience.
What internship is best for me?
Internships are a good way of working with professionals without being tied to a position about which you might feel unsure.For one of us, an internship proved a great way to find out if a special library setting was right for her. Since many students go into library school uncertain about whether they want to work in public, school, academic, or special libraries, participating in an internship can help them make a decision about what kind of library environment they would enjoy and would be most fulfilling.
Of course, there are many items to consider when deciding on applying for an internship. Does the library seem like a place where you can learn? Will it be a rewarding experience? Do you have time, can you get college credit for it, and for some, especially working students, does it pay? When possible, it can be especially beneficial to choose an internship in a library where you can see yourself actually working as a librarian after receiving your degree. Such an internship offers a key inside look into the librarian's day-to-day world, and what would be expected of you as a full-time employee, as well as who you would be working with.
An enriching internship?
To get the most of your internship you must put in 100 percent. Be willing to try anything. Volunteer for things about which you know nothing. Be helpful. Ask questions. Remember the old saying "there is no such thing as a dumb question"? Well it's especially true when you are interning. When you participate in an internship you are leaning something totally new, so you are expected to ask questions.
Some of the most important things you can do when participating in an internship are the most basic: show up for work on time and take the work seriously. Doing so shows your employer that you want to be there, you are ready to work hard, and you are open to learning new skills. Remember, you're an intern; it's your job to learn new procedures, new software systems, ask questions, and to get familiar with the tasks that have been given to you.
One of the most important things that we learned from participating in internships was that even the head librarian, at times, has to roll up her/his sleeves and pitch in to get the work done. When you participate in an internship, you become part of the team that is working together to get the job done.
Is it too late to be an intern?
We recommend participating in internships as soon as you start library school, if possible. Not only will this provide you with excellent learning opportunities, but it will also give you valuable experiences, wonderful contacts and networking possibilities; you will learn important skills; it will build your confidence in your library career; it might help you find what library career path you are meant to follow; and perhaps it will lead to a job offer. It is never too late, however, to participate in an internship.
While mid-career library internships are harder to do, they can be very beneficial and can lead to a new and unexpected career turns. While juggling a full-time library job and a part-time library internship may be difficult, the results can be rewarding. Most libraries will try to work with you and your hours, so don't be afraid to ask.
Despite all of our planning, life is never under our control. If you've taken a break from working or have decided to take an early retirement, you can keep your skills and knowledge up-to-date with the real life experience from an internship, reinforcing your viability incase some unforeseen situation requires you to go back into the workforce.
As a supervisor
If your institution has an established internship program, it can be a blessing or a curse. There may be limits regarding to whom you can give an internship opportunity, such as someone who is in a MLS/MLIS program as opposed to someone considering a library degree. All these issues should be taken into consideration, along with your libraries/corporation's policies and library/corporate climate.
For supervisors, it is important to remember that an internship is an exchange. The company and supervisor are receiving something from the intern just as surely as the intern is from them. Directing an intern is not only a way to acquire a possible extra helper in your library, it is also a way to give back to your profession and help the next generation of librarians. Remember, the librarian intern you help today may one day be the head of a library school, president of the ALA, or the next Librarian of Congress.
Finding your internship
Library job listings, coworkers, library school, cold calling, webpages, etc., are all good places to start your internship search. If an internship doesn't make itself known to you through a friend or other standard source, then you can be more selective about the direction you want to take. Most businesses, including libraries, can use free help. Cold calling can be hard—but effective. One of us sent a cartography company an email asking about a possible internship in their map library (while simultaneously working 40 hours a week in a small college library and working on a GIS degree). After several follow-up emails, she was offered an internship in their unique map library.
Before approaching any organization remember that there are investments the organization must make. For example, the intern's supervisor must take time away from her/his work to provide guidance, training and supervision. You can be imaginative about opportunities, but do your best to present the organization with the advantages of taking you on as an intern.
If you can't immediately find an internship that suits you, consider volunteering in a library where you think you'd like to work eventually. While volunteering, you may not receive access to all the information regarding a library position, but you will get a feel for the environment, politics, etc. Also, volunteering looks good on a résumé, you get to know a library, and you get to meet interesting librarians.
Melissa Aho, MLIS, MS, is a Weekend Reference Librarian at the Metropolitan State University Library in St. Paul, MN; Marcia Franklin, MLIS, MS, was the Librarian at Academy College in Bloomington, MN, for three years and has since changed careers to “stay-at-home mother of twins”; Sara Wakefield, MLIS, is currently a Library Assistant in the General Mills corporate library; and Susan Wakefield, MLIS, is a retired academic librarian
