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Committee Internships: The Easy "In"
by Nanette Wargo Donohue
Librarians interested in becoming involved with library association committee work may find themselves stuck in a frustrating catch-22: You need to have committee experience to be appointed to a committee...but you need to be appointed to a committee to get committee experience. There are rejection-free ways to get some committee experience - for example, ALA's New Members Round Table (NMRT) guarantees appointments to anyone who's interested - but, for librarians looking to break into committee work at the division level or higher, the experience can be daunting. Some ALA divisions are known for being very open and welcoming to librarians who are new to committee work, and some divisions are rumored to be nearly impossible to break into. Fortunately, there is an easy "in:" serving as a committee intern.
Finding Opportunities
Intern opportunities aren't always well-publicized. Divisions that appoint interns generally include an option on the committee volunteer form for applicants who are willing to serve as interns, but this can be easy to miss. I first became aware of the opportunity when I saw a post on an electronic discussion list looking for people interested in serving on ALA committees. I had been involved with NMRT for three years and had chaired a couple of committees, but I felt it was a good idea to branch out.
I filled out the volunteer form, selected three committees that sounded interesting, and mailed it in to the ALA office. Several months later, I received a letter from then-ALA President-Elect Carol Brey-Casiano telling me that I had been selected to serve a one-year term as an intern on the ALA Awards Committee. Since I also thought it would be interesting to be involved in a division-level committee, I applied to serve as an intern for an ALCTS Cataloging and Classification Section committee, and I was appointed to the Cataloging of Children's Materials Committee - my first choice.
I attended the ALA Intern Orientation the Midwinter after beginning my appointment. The orientation gave the interns an opportunity to meet each other and get a basic idea of what serving as a committee intern would involve. Some of the committee chairs were at the orientation, as were some members of the ALA Executive Board and staff from the ALA office, so we got to meet some of the "bigwigs" in ALA. Despite the orientation, though, I still didn't know what to expect at my first committee meetings. I found out very quickly that interns are often responsible for taking meeting minutes. Though this was a lot of work, I found that it got me up to speed with the committee's work quickly and helped me learn the committee members' names.
Seeking Standards
In talking to others who have served as committee interns, I've learned that intern experiences can vary widely, and it seems that there are few, if any, guidelines on how internships are handled in ALA. I spoke with some people who were considered full members of their committees, complete with voting privileges and the ability to assist with committee projects, and I spoke with others who were given few opportunities for participation. According to ALA's intern guidelines, most decisions about interns' committee roles are at the discretion of the chair. This leads to a wide variety of experiences. Having worked on numerous committees, both inside and outside of ALA, I realize that every committee will be different. Perhaps, though, intern roles should be more standardized, so interns will know what their experience will entail. It can be frustrating to hear that someone who was appointed to a different committee had a much better experience because their chair was more open to working with an intern.
I've now served as an intern on an ALA committee, on an ALA division committee, and on a state library association committee, and all three experiences were unique. I've worked with chairs who made me feel very welcome and immediately involved me in the committee's activities, and I've worked with chairs who barely acknowledged my existence. My advice for prospective interns: get what you can out of the opportunity, make yourself known, volunteer for tasks that you feel comfortable doing, and don't let an inept or difficult chair spoil your committee experience. I've come away with something from all three of my committee internships - including appointments as a full committee member.
Nanette Donohue is the Technical Services Manager at the Champaign Public Library. She currently serves as Outreach Director for the ALA New Members Round Table.