All too often, library school students are left to seek out scarce or nonexistent internship opportunities to fulfill requirements before graduation. These requirements are in place because there is tremendous value in experiential learning, however the lack of carefully designed programs means that the work experience many students receive before graduation is hastily thrown together without proper planning. This can lead to missed learning opportunities for them and missed opportunities for us to cultivate the next generation of information professionals.
This workshop will provide participants a hands-on environment to plan for internships at their libraries. The first part of the session will include a discussion on garnering administrator buy-in, supervisor responsibilities, paid vs. unpaid internships, getting the word out, and other practical considerations. During the second part of the session, participants will be given a template and suggestions for how to create their own internship.
