SLIS students from the Fall 2005 L596 Internship in Library and Information Science course reported on their experiences during the last week of classes. The presentations provided an opportunity to exchange insights and hear about fellow students' challenges and triumphs. This semester 25 students were registered for internships through SLIS Bloomington.
SLIS students are eligible to complete an internship for L596 course credit after completing 18 SLIS credit hours. The typical three-credit-hour internship requires 180 hours of onsite work. Interns keep journals of what they do and learn; they also read and summarize relevant professional materials to tie their internship experiences to their intended professional placements.
Four students of the Fall 2005 interns submitted their journals in the form of blogs (Web logs). These interns have granted permission to link to their blogs for this story.
- Ilias Kyriazis - online journal: music cataloging internship, Indiana University, William and Gayle Cook Music Library
- Tyler Danstrom - online journal: - metadata internship, Indiana University Libraries Digital Library Program
- Susan Maguire and Sarah Mercure - online journal: reference services internship, Monroe County Public Library
Debora Shaw, SLIS Executive Associate Dean, is the Internship Coordinator. Students interested in placements, or employers interested in interns, can contact her by email at shaw@indiana.edu. Sample Internships in the Bloomington area, as well as in other placements around the country can be found on our website. After hearing the interns' reports, Dr. Shaw commented on "the great value the interns' supervisors contribute in helping these SLIS students prepare for their steps into the professional world."
The photographs that accompany this story are IU campus scenes from the snowfall the same week.
Posted December 14, 2005