internships

All the Roads that Lead to Librarianship

Everyone’s path to academic libraries is a little different. Some of us start as public library pages in high school, some of us have been library student workers as undergrads, and some of us found libraries as a second career – whether the first one had to do with libraries or not. All of those paths are valid, and we have a lot to learn from each other and our different experiences.

One common refrain that’s come up among this year’s ACRLog First-Year Academic Librarians (FYALs) is what we’ve learned from our past jobs – which could be anything from previous careers, library jobs that we had during grad school, and non-library jobs – that we use in our work today in academic libraries. Today, the three of us are sharing some thoughts and suggestions about what we learned from previous jobs.

Lisa: Approaching all experiences with care…

As with many other students tight on finances, a part-time job was a must for me, ever since I reached the legal age of being able to work. Some positions that I credit my current career to and those that I highly recommend future librarians to think about are student internships and on-campus positions.

A particular position that I look back fondly upon is being a residence don/assistant (I wrote a whole blog post about it in November in more detail if you’re interested: The Unexpected Overlaps Between a Don and a Librarian – ACRLog). The brainstorming of fun ideas to make sure there was sufficient attendance, conducting user needs analyses, working across campus with different partners, creating a safe atmosphere for everyone, while teaching students in one-on-one sessions, floor meetings, and workshops were so foundational. Especially in the beginning of the semester where first-year students would ask questions on everything and anything, I felt like I was back working at the public library where I was matching the right question to the right resource! This was where I volunteered at my first conference and did my dream project of hosting a month-long screening and events in celebration of the World Cup at a residence for international exchange students. Student engagement and targeting specific demographics for events that they would be interested in is something I think about on the daily, and having experience in student housing allowed me to first become exposed to the transferability of skills and knowledge in a post-secondary setting.

In graduate school, attending an institution where there was sufficient support for student internship programs was necessary for me. I luckily had opportunities at several different libraries and departments where I feel that experience was incredibly beneficial in securing my current position. Scholarly communication, copyright, health sciences, and user engagement are some of the areas of academic libraries that I was introduced to. Due to the realistic constraints of living in an expensive city, having part-time jobs may be necessary, but trying to approach each opportunity, no matter what they might be, with an open mind and an empathic heart was essential for me to be generous with my time and energy to really apply what I was learning in school to positions outside the classroom.

M: What does working with reporters and students have in common?

For me, librarianship is a second career. I worked in my undergrad institution’s library as a student, then spent about six years in the communications and PR world before going to grad school for my MSLS (with a pretty random half-year stint in the federal government mixed in too). In grad school, I was able to work and volunteer in several different libraries. I also worked for a year at the campus performing arts organization’s box office.

This is a pretty eclectic work history. What stands out to me the most now is that I use something that I learned at all of these past jobs, whether that’s a workplace lesson, a skill, or just general information, in my current academic library job almost every day. A lot of the knowledge, skills, and experience that I use now are also things that I hadn’t thought I would ever use again. I learned how to connect people with the information they need during my time in comms and PR – back then, I was connecting reporters with sources; now, I connect students with books and articles, but the fundamentals are the same. I learned how to intake random requests in communications and at the box office and figure out what people actually needed; now, I know what questions to ask students when they reach out and how not to let their panic get to me when they’re worried about a deadline (because reporters are always on deadline). I learned how to write a great proposal for a conference when I worked for the PR firm; now, I can write them for myself and help out my colleagues too. For my first few years in communications, I was also a scheduler; now, I know how to stay on top of my own calendar and also keep a lot of dates and deadlines in my head (and save my fellow librarians from accidentally scheduling a meeting for a holiday). I volunteered at a public library during grad school and now I know what things like “shelf-reading” mean (something library school doesn’t teach you). These are just the first few that come to mind – I could definitely keep going.

I think there are a few important points to take away from these examples. First, librarianship is a career where a lot of different experiences can translate – and translate well. It’s also hard to get experience in libraries. I would encourage anyone who’s interested in this career path to think creatively about what past experiences you have and how you can apply them to the library world – there’s more overlap than you would think. Additionally, but on the same theme, I would encourage people who are thinking about this career path or who are early into it to try to say “yes” to jobs, volunteer opportunities, and anything else, even if you think it won’t be relevant. You don’t know which of the lessons you learned in a job five years previously might turn out to be relevant during your first few years as an academic librarian. All experience is valuable – don’t discount or write off anything!

Eleanor: Jack of all trades, master of some

One of the most important moments of my MLIS degree happened when I was introduced to SJSU’s MLIS Skills at Work: A Snapshot of Job Postings report. My professor heavily emphasized the “Job Duties Listed Most Frequently” slide, shown here:

The “Job Duties Listed Most Frequently” slide from the Spring 2025 report.

At this point, I had no idea what kind of academic librarian I wanted to be; all I knew was how hard it would be to find a job in the economy I’d be graduating into. I made it my mission to acquire experience in as many of these job duty areas as possible before graduating.

I had already worked circulation at a medical library during my undergraduate degree, and when I began my MLIS, I worked part-time in technical services at a law library. During my second year, I applied for a liaison practicum, gaining experience in instruction and liaison work. While reference wasn’t originally part of the practicum curriculum, I specifically asked to be trained on the desk so I could check off the “reference” skill from the SJSU report. (I was on a mission!) When the opportunity came for a second practicum, I could choose either another liaison practicum or an e-resources practicum. As much as I wanted to keep doing liaison work, I decided to strategically broaden my portfolio of skills, particularly since my program did not offer any courses or other learning opportunities about e-resources.

Experimenting with all these different areas of librarianship helped me discover the type of librarian I wanted to be. While I loved digging my teeth into a huge e-journal spreadsheet, I realized I couldn’t do that for 40 hours a week. I was the most energized when working with patrons, either in the classroom or research consultations. I loved sitting out at the reference desk, soaking in the buzz of the library, even if nobody came by! This helped give me direction when I began my job search. On the other hand, my diverse portfolio of library experiences also gave me flexibility on the job market, which was important in an unpredictable environment. Additionally, my experience in collections, e-resources, and circulation makes me a stronger liaison librarian today. Understanding these elements of the library helps me better assist students and faculty who come to me with access issues, and I can collaborate more effectively with my colleagues across the library.

All experience is experience

All three of us FYALs took different paths to reach our current academic library positions. Although those paths were varied, they were each valuable in their own ways. All of the work, volunteer, and practicum experience we gained both inside and outside of libraries helped to make us competitive candidates on the job market and currently helps us to be the best librarians we can be!

Integrating interns with disabilities at the library

For the past three years, Michigan State University Libraries has participated as a job site in Spartan Project SEARCH, an MSU-based iteration of the larger Project SEARCH program. Project SEARCH is a transition program for young adults with developmental disabilities in which participants, often recent high school graduates, learn job skills such as how to write a resume while also working half days in various job settings. At MSU, participants work everywhere from the dining halls to the library, learning how jobs work and how they like different job environments.

Spartan Project SEARCH began at MSU in 2016 and the Libraries’ Accessibility unit started participating in Fall 2022. Since then, we have hosted two interns per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The interns’ rotations in the library typically last about 10 weeks.

When we first began the program, we started small, with interns only coming in a few days per week, but more recent interns have spent four days a week at the library. This would not have been possible without the participation of several units around the Libraries. Usually, our interns spend between one hour and two hours working for one unit before moving to another, allowing them to work on a variety of tasks in a single day.

Currently, interns work on resetting furniture, scanning books for controlled digital lending, collecting books for reshelving, and checking in returned books. They also have the opportunity to assist with smaller projects as they arise, including installing exhibits and participating in user experience testing. Interns also tour other units in the library, such as Cataloging or Maps, so that they can see the breadth of work happening in the library.

Overall, participating in Project SEARCH has been extremely rewarding, but we have learned some things along the way. First, we would not have been a successful program site if the interns worked in only one unit. Having multiple host units allows for interns to learn an array of different skills and experience different kinds of work and work environments. It also helps to fill out their schedule and provides some flexibility as we respond to interns’ interests and needs.

Each intern is different, and though we’ve now developed a process that generally works, we’ve found flexibility to be key in making the experience useful for the intern. We train interns extensively on their tasks, with the goal of them completing their work independently. We do, however, always have someone scheduled to check in with the intern or to provide extra support and training time if they need it. Some interns feel more comfortable shadowing for a longer period of time, others work well when we double check their work with them, and occasionally some just want a bit of company during their shift. Again, responding to interns’ needs and requests has helped to make the training process and transition to independent work run smoothly. Depending on interns’ interests and abilities, we’ve also added or modified work for them.

Providing the interns with routine and consistency also helps to set expectations and keep the internship running smoothly. At the beginning of each new internship, we create a schedule that stays roughly the same, with work in specific units happening at the same time each week, along with some free slots to add in tours. We print a full schedule each week for the interns to reference and take home if they want. This helps interns to anticipate what’s coming up, know where they should be, and know who they should expect to see.

Finally, establishing methods of finding and asking for help has been critical both in the early stages of an internship and later on when interns are working independently. We of course make sure interns know where to find our offices, but because we are so often moving around the building or in meetings, we also give interns our phone numbers and encourage them to text us if there’s a problem. Because there are two of us managing the interns, group messages have been particularly helpful.

Project SEARCH has sites throughout the US and internationally, but it isn’t everywhere. If you’re interested in participating in a similar program in your library, I encourage you to look into similar alternatives as well. Project SEARCH, for example, collaborates with Michigan Rehabilitation Services, and there are likely other similar programs in your state. We’ve found Project SEARCH to certainly be a commitment of time and resources, but also completely worthwhile and a way to make a direct impact in the community.

If your library participates in a similar program or if you’re interested in starting something like this, I’d love to chat more in the comments.

Special thanks to Heidi Schroeder, who initiated the Project SEARCH program in the MSU Libraries and works with me on supervising our interns. This article in the Libraries’ newsletter has more information on MSU Libraries’ participation in Project SEARCH.

Chatting with Penn State’s Student Engagement & Outreach Intern

This school year myself and our Outreach Coordinator had the opportunity to hire a Student Engagement & Outreach intern. We had been wanting to have an intern for a while, both to help us plan programming and also to give us some insight into the world of a Penn State undergraduate. In the work we do with student engagement and outreach, we talk about how we are student-focused and student-centered and want to collaborate with other folks who feel the same way. It only seemed appropriate to have an intern working with us and helping us stay true to being student-centered. We were so lucky to have found Lily, who has a ton of enthusiasm for the job and the library, and is interested in librarianship. I thought it would be neat to start 2019 off with a little interview with her for the blog and hear about her thoughts on working in the library so far.

Hailley: Hello Lily, thanks so much for doing an interview with ACRLog. Can you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

A picture of Lily standing next to a poster — Lily at an internship showcase, fall 2018

Lily: Hi! I’m a Junior at Penn State studying History and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. I hope to head right to grad school after undergrad and get my degree in Library Science! In my (tragically infrequent) free time I like running and knitting.

Hailley: Excellent! It definitely has been fun talking about librarianship with you throughout this internship. Now that the readers know you a little bit, can you tell them what sort of things have you been up to as our Student Engagement & Outreach intern?

Lily: So, I’ve been doing a whole variety of things. Broadly, I work with academic and non-academic organizations on campus to plan events that include library resources. In the fall I planned an LGBTQ+ Movie Night in collaboration with the LGBTQA Student Resource Center; before the movie, we showed a Powerpoint of scanned images and files I had found in our Special Collections Library on local queer history. I also facilitated a feminist book club with a student club. Aside from event planning, I’m also helping to develop and reimagine the Leisure Reading Collection by adding books that are independently published and/or deal with more “diverse” themes, like LGBTQ+ and cultural studies.

Hailley: You have definitely kept yourself busy and have accomplished a lot in your first semester as our intern. In the time you’ve been our intern, what’s something you have learned (about the library or about student engagement and outreach, or both)?

Lily: I’ve learned that, sometimes, working in large organizations can be frustrating. There are lots of things and people you have to work with and through to do pretty much anything. Large organizations, like this library, can be really neat though. There are lots of people with lots of expertise in lots of things, and it’s cool being surrounded by that.

Hailley: Ah yes, you’re exactly right about the hoops we have to jump through, but also the great people we can work with. Sort of along those lines, what has been the most surprising thing you’ve learned while in this internship?

Lily: I guess I was kind of surprised to see how much personality and passion lives in the library. Often, people think about the library as a static and boring building, useful only for book borrowing; during my time here, though, I’ve met so many interesting and driven people who do a lot more than scan books and shush students. It has, in a way, solidified my interest in librarianship, because I can see myself, someone who is passionate and driven, working somewhere like this library.

Hailley: Yes, there is always a lot happening the library, whether you realize it or not. So Lily, to wrap this interview up, can you leave the readers with a preview for what you’re working on in 2019?

Lily: I’m super excited to be planning a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Wiki Edit-a-thon, set to take place this March. I get to use my knowledge in two areas, the Library and Women’s Studies, and work with variety of people, planning something I’m really passionate about; the goal is to “diversify” the subjects and editors of Wikipedia pages. I’ve already made some professor connections and everyone involved seems to be really excited. I’m so thankful that I can get this kind of experience at my internship, because not only is this event really awesome, it’s also the perfect way for me to try my hand at librarianship.

Hailley: Yes, the Edit-a-thon should be great, along with all the other things you’ll be up to. Thanks for chatting with me for the ACRLog!

In and out of context: Musings on information literacy, institutional, and higher ed landscapes

After more than a decade at a private small liberal arts college, my recent transition to a large, public research university has been full of learning opportunities regarding both the content of my work and the culture of this organization. Since arriving, I’ve identified a need for jumpstarting and growing a dormant information literacy program. Developing information literacy initiatives–including course-embedded instruction and faculty development, for example–was a significant focus for me at my previous institution. My experiences and the expertise I developed there certainly apply here. Yet that application requires some translation; my previous work, no surprise, was deeply steeped in that institution’s context.

In my previous position, talking about information literacy by articulating its connections with critical thinking, for example, packed a solid punch for faculty and students. My former institution’s mission statement illustrates the context of our discourse and work, dedicated to the development of “independent critical thinkers who are intellectually agile” and “committed to life-long learning.”

Don’t get me wrong. This kind of language and these values aren’t hard to find at my new institution either. In our general education learning objectives alone, I can point to both explicit and implicit language about information literacy. Telling the story of information literacy in terms of strengthening our abilities to think and learn and live is still compelling. But it doesn’t feel like it goes quite as far a distance here–where I’ve heard gen ed branded as “connecting curiosity and career,” for example–as it did in my previous context.

Surely, it’s not institutional culture alone that explains the difference. The landscape of higher ed altogether has been and continues to be shifting. Yesterday’s joint statement by AAC&U and AAUP, for example, characterizes the trend in this way: “Politicians have proposed linking tuition to the alleged market value of given majors. Students majoring in literature, art, philosophy, and history are routinely considered unemployable in the technology and information economy, despite the fact that employers in that economy strenuously argue that liberal arts majors make great tech-sector workers precisely because they are trained to think critically and creatively, and to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.”

I don’t mean to suggest that I’m against pre-professional training nor that liberal arts will save us. This is not an either/or situation. One of the reasons I sought this type of job at this type of institution was to find a new context, a new learning experience. After so much time at one institution, I wanted to see other ways that higher ed works. But I certainly still subscribe to the maxim that critical thinking is just as important, if not more, as content knowledge for our students’ (and our society’s) future success and that information literacy is an elemental part of those critical thinking habits, attitudes, and skills.

So as I’m thinking about growing our information literacy program here, I’m thinking about our institutional context and higher ed landscape with fresh eyes, too. I’m thinking now about all the ways to make the long reach of information literacy visible beyond the classroom. My thoughts turn first to the application and impact of information literacy skills in students’ internships, a signature experience on my campus. How have you illustrated the power of information literacy for your context(s)? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.