Comments on: Q: How does one go about getting an internship or just a volunteer position at a public library? http://www.lisjobs.com/CareerQA_blog/?p=425 Fri, 22 Jun 2012 02:26:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 By: tiffany http://www.lisjobs.com/CareerQA_blog/?p=425&cpage=1#comment-300 tiffany Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:44:56 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/CareerQA_blog/?p=425#comment-300 Excellent suggestions Jami! Thanks for the advice and for the perspective you provide as a library director. And your suggestion about the information interview is great...for folks wanting to know more about informational interviews (what they are, how to prepare...) please take a look at our posts on that topic. Excellent suggestions Jami! Thanks for the advice and for the perspective you provide as a library director. And your suggestion about the information interview is great…for folks wanting to know more about informational interviews (what they are, how to prepare…) please take a look at our posts on that topic.

]]> By: Jami Bryan http://www.lisjobs.com/CareerQA_blog/?p=425&cpage=1#comment-298 Jami Bryan Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:31:27 +0000 http://www.lisjobs.com/CareerQA_blog/?p=425#comment-298 I would also suggest contacting some local libraries directly. But be prepared before you call or email - be ready to discuss what skills and experience you could bring to the library and what your goals are for volunteering/interning (get more reference experience? learn about collection development?). As a library director, I've had many MLS students contact me about internships and it was helpful to know what they wanted to get out of the experience - I don't necessarily have time to create an internship for them, but can usually find time to lead them through a project or set up reference desk shadowing if they have some ideas of what they want to learn already. If you don't want to cold-call libraries, you could set up informational interviews with librarians or library directors and inquire about volunteer opportunities after you have made that connection. I would also suggest contacting some local libraries directly. But be prepared before you call or email – be ready to discuss what skills and experience you could bring to the library and what your goals are for volunteering/interning (get more reference experience? learn about collection development?). As a library director, I’ve had many MLS students contact me about internships and it was helpful to know what they wanted to get out of the experience – I don’t necessarily have time to create an internship for them, but can usually find time to lead them through a project or set up reference desk shadowing if they have some ideas of what they want to learn already.

If you don’t want to cold-call libraries, you could set up informational interviews with librarians or library directors and inquire about volunteer opportunities after you have made that connection.

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