The sponsoring sites do not need to be TEAM trained, and the total commitment is 60-75 hours, flexibly scheduled and tailored to the needs of the site and the student. We are hoping to develop sustainable ongoing relationships with sites and districts – and this is the first semester of implementation. I am including a broad overview below, and if you have anyone who would be willing to consider a placement. I would be happy to talk with them, provide additional information and determine if it might be a good fit for the spring semester.
The internship is designed as a three credit course that offers a broad hands-on experience ( a realistic look at all of the intricacies/skills involved in running a library and library program) a total of 150 hours that will be of benefit to both the site and the student. Lots of room for flexibility and tailoring to specific needs – approximately 60 -70 hours or so per site, planned in a way that works for both the interns and the sponsoring site. Each SLMS intern will work at a school library for half the time AND a public library for half the time – the goal is to plant some seeds of understanding for school/public collaboration as well as gain knowledge. A university supervisor will visit in an informal way at least once each semester. We are carefully screening sites and hoping to establish a collaborative relationship between working professionals and pre-service programs. This is the very first semester of implementation.
The following is from the guidelines::
A professional field experience (internship) is central to the program for all students. For students without experience working in a library, it will provide a well-rounded background that can add value to their résumé. Students with experience are strongly advised to seek an internship that will broaden their knowledge, such as in a different type of library or in a specialized unit of a library. Students seeking experience in technology-driven areas such as digital librarianship are advised to complete appropriate electives (as suggested by academic advisor) prior to beginning their internship.
This internship will provide experiential learning that contributes to creating and strengthening the “serving to learn and learning to serve” ethic that reflects the core responsibilities of the library and information science professions (ALA, 2006). Internships as academic service learning provide experiences that are intentional in their purpose to mutually benefit the provider and the recipient of the service, as well as to ensure equal focus on both the service being provided and the learning that is occurring.
The goal of the ILS program is to provide a rich research based learning experience that links theory to practice, promotes ethical development as professionals, as well as ensuring hands-on experience in libraries and information agencies.