The document discusses implementing an internship program at an academic library to help manage the increased workload from new technologies. It provides an overview of Brooklyn College Library's long-running internship program, how they recruit and organize interns, the projects interns work on, and the benefits for both interns and the library. The internship program allows the library to take on new technology-driven work while providing interns with real-world experience to build their skills and resumes.

1. Internship Programs in a
Technology-Driven Academic Library:
Investment in Human-Time to Take
on the New High-Tech Workload

2. Professor Beth Evans
Associate Professor/Electronic Services Librarian
Brooklyn College
City University of New York
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11210
Voice: (718) 758-8206
Fax: (718) 951-4432
bevans@brooklyn.cuny.edu

3. Abstract
Libraries are always challenged to keep pace with a rapidly
changing, high technology environment. Welcoming
interns into the academic library can allow management to
keep pace with and incorporate appropriate and beneficial
new technologies in the services they offer. Interns bring
new ideas and a fresh perspective on how libraries operate.
Working with interns can be mutually beneficial, both to
the interns who need to build up their resumes and the
libraries eager to pilot new service models. The Brooklyn
College Library (BCL) has run an internship program for
nearly two decades. BCL has employed a range of interns
from high school students to post MLS professionals. Learn
ideas for how to organize and launch a successful
internship program at your library.

4. Brooklyn College Library Internship Program:
Nationally Recognized in 2012

5. The Experience of the Brooklyn College Library Internship Program
Diversifying the Profession
“Linking library school students and academic libraries
through internship programs can help efforts to diversify
the profession. Research has shown the need for diversity
in all types of libraries. Library staff should reflect the
increasing heterogeneity of the United States—and the
temporary infusion of interns working side by side with full-
time permanent staff will help in reaching that goal.”
Kate Angell, Beth Evans, and Barnaby Nicolas
“Reflecting Our Communities: Internship programs open doors and minds.”
American Libraries, January 2012
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/01112012/reflecting-our-communities

6. • The Conference that Brings Us Together:
Management in Academic Libraries in the Age
of New Technology
• Where does a discussion of implementing an
internship program fit in with the theme of
the conference?

7. • Interns are human resources and therefore a
management concern
• All management concerns are impacted by the
new technologies

8. The Affects of Technology on Workload
“[T]he notion that automation always reduces
workload fails on at least two grounds. First,
automation may change the pattern of workload
across work segments, but does not always reduce
overall workload. Second, even in highly automated
systems in which the human operator is engaged
primarily in monitoring, workload may not be
reduced because the demands of monitoring can be
considerable.”
Raja Parasuraman, et al., Automation and Human Performance:
Theory and Applications. New York: CRC Press, 1996, p. 98.

9. • Libraries are leaders in implementing
automation
• More automation still means we need more
people working

10. Examples of Automation in Libraries
Increasing Workload
“The Good Old Days”
• Staffing physical reference
desk
• Creating a finding aid for
books – the card catalog
Nowadays
• Staffing physical reference desk
• Staffing chat reference
• Staffing email reference
• Monitoring social networks
• Providing reference through texting
• Maintaining library web site
• Maintenance, upgrade, version
control and compatibility of our
– Catalog
– ABC list or database of databases
– E-journal finders
– Electronic Resources Management
Systems

11. Where will libraries find some of these new workers?
• Pre-professional library interns bring skills
from their education and are eager to learn on
the job
• Employing interns will be mutually beneficial
to the interns and to the workplace

12. A Literature Search Brings Up
Many Current Articles on Internships

13. The Positive Outcomes – For Employers and For Interns
• Pike, Laurie. “The Full-time non-employee.”
Entrepreneur, Apr 2010, Vol. 38 Issue 4, p80-87.
• Yankee, Jon P.; Belew, Laurie A.; Crafford, Lisa J..
“Big Help, Small Cost.” Financial Planning, Oct
2011, Vol. 41 Issue 10, p87-89.
• “Internships Open Doors to Your Future Career –
Advice for HE&IT’s Most Admired Employers for
Minority Professionals.” Hispanic Engineer &
Information Technology, Fall2010, Vol. 25 Issue 2,
p8-11.

14. Examples from Libraries
• Sargent, Aloha R.; Becker, Bernd W.; Klingberg, Susan.
“Incorporating Library School Interns on Academic
Library Subject Teams.” Journal of Academic
Librarianship, January 2011, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p 28-33.
• Smith, Sara D.. Reaching Out to Undergraduates –
Recruitment vis Internship.” American Libraries,
September 2010, Vol. 41 Issue 9, p 38-41.
• Asher, Curt; Alexander, Johanna Olson. “The Library
Internship and Expo as a Pathway to Diversity – A Case
Study.” Journal of Education for Library & Information
Science, Winter 2006, Vol. 47 Issue 1, p 17-26.

15. The Downsides – For Interns and Employers
• Chatzky, Jean; McGrath, Maggie. “The Great American
Internship Swindle.” Newsweek, 11/28/2011, Vol. 158 Issue
22, p22-22.
• “Interns Willing to Pay for Work Experience.” Recruiter,
11/28/2011, p10-10.
• Perlin, Ross. Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn
Little in the Brave New Economy. NY: Verso, 2011.
• Kiplinger, Knight“Are Unpaid Interns Exploited by
Employers?” Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Apr2011, Vol.
65.
• “Unpaid Internships: An Option That Must Pass Strict
Criteria.” Manager's Report, Jun2011, Vol. 11 Issue 6, p5-6.

16. For better or for worse, internships are on the rise
and interns are going far afield to find them.
“As Western economies stagnate and China's continues to grow,
students in Europe and the United States are increasingly looking
eastwards for internships and placements. Scant opportunities at
home have driven more and more students to China and Asia-Pacific
countries where they can brighten up their resumes, according to
youth group AIESEC and the International Association for the
Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE).”
“China emerges as new job frontier for West's youth;
Hundreds of US, European interns are flocking to Asia for experience
as work dwindles at home.” South China Morning Post
December 27, 2011

17. Internships and My Career Trajectory
• Spring 1994 – final semester at Queens College of the City
University of New York (CUNY), Graduate School of Library and
Information Studies registered in internship course for credit
• Approached the Brooklyn College Library (CUNY) to do an
internship; no formal program existed
• February 1994-May1994 interned in information services unit
• June 1994-August 1994 worked as an adjunct librarian at the
Brooklyn College Library
• September 1994-August 1996 worked as a substitute assistant
professor in the Brooklyn College Library
• September 1996-August 2001 worked as a tenured-track assistant
professor in the Brooklyn College Library and awarded tenure
• 2002 – promoted to associate professor

18. History of Internship Program at
Brooklyn College
• 1994 - No history of internship program before my employment as an intern
• 1996 – Library school of the University of the West Indies, Mona, approaches
Brooklyn College Library to host students doing a required practicum
• 1998 - The internship program in the Brooklyn College Library goes local hosting a
single library school student
• 1999 – First high school student employed as an intern
• 2001 – First hosting of intern doing practicum for degree from
Universitätsbibliothek Stuttgart
• 2003 – Three month hosting of visiting librarian from Shanghai Jiao Tong University
(runs concurrent with one week hosting of visiting Russian librarians as part of the
Open World Leadership Program )
• 2006 – Multi-intern cohort reaches new high of three interns simultaneously
employed
• 2009 – Intern cohort of seven (peak) employed in a single semester
• 2012 – Six interns currently employed

19. Finding Interns
• Outreach to library schools
– Five library schools are sources in the New York City area (Queens College, CUNY, St. John’s U,
Palmer School, LIU, Pratt Institute, Rutgers U)
– Consider reaching beyond the local library schools
• students studying elsewhere home for summer break (SUNY Albany)
• students living locally but studying through a distance learning program (Clarion U,
Syracuse U)
– Contact listservs targeting students
– Ask library schools to hang your flyer
• Outreach at events (conferences, meetings, etc.)
• Build a library and they will find you
– Interns find you on the Internet or through other means (UWI, Stuttgart, Shanghai)
– Interns tell others about their experience
• Consider non-library school students
– Undergraduates at your institution
– High school students (on campus; schools with internship programs)
• Consider post-degree professionals

20. Who Are the Interns?
Singles
• Cheryl
• Nadine
• Yelana
• Natalia
• Sophia
• Jaroslav
Cohorts
• Jonathan / Julia
• Wendy / Barnaby / Kate
• Wendy / LuAnn / Eric /
Matthew / Jay / Vikki / David
• Sarah / Ralph / Flordalisa
• Julia / Andrea
• Wallens / SuMin / Melanie /
Emma Karin / Jennifer / Aimee

21. Keeping Organized
• Orientation
• The syllabus
– Mission statement
– Recommended readings
– Week-by-week schedule
• The spreadsheet
• Passing on responsibilities to the interns
themselves (e.g., arranging unit visits)

22. Brooklyn College Library Internship Syllabus, p 1-2

23. Brooklyn College Library Internship Syllabus, p 3-4

24. Brooklyn College Library Internship Spreadsheet

25. Brooklyn College Library Internship Spreadsheet

26. Brooklyn College Library Internship Spreadsheet

27. Brooklyn College Library Internship Spreadsheet

28. Getting Down to Work
• Reference desk shadowing
• Chat reference staffing
• Class instruction: observation and leadership
• Unit visits
• Attending campus and university-wide meetings
• Special projects
• Subject specialist pairings
• Mentor matching
• Professional activities (e.g., attending and or
presenting at conferences, publishing)

29. Special Projects
• Myspace/Facebook development
• Organizing the philosophy department
library
• Reference collection weeding
• Multi-lingual information literacy modules
• MLK Literacy Project
• Children’s book author talk for School of
Education
• E-book carousels and web page
enhancements
• Mobile web services development
• Pre-medical student online workbook
• Government Documents training
• Disability services training for librarians
• Random Act of Culture production

30. Where Are They Now?
Jonathan – College of Staten Island Library, CUNY
Wendy – Kingsborough Community College, John Kibbee Library, CUNY
Kate – Sarah Lawrence College, Esther Raushenbush Library
Barnaby – Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Levy Library
Natalia – Hofstra College, The Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library
Flordalisa - Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates (law firm)

31. What Do They Have to Say About the Experiences?

32. Advice for a Successful Internship Program
• Recruit widely and be open to all inquiries
• Provide an orientation with a syllabus,
introduction to library staff and a tour
• Identify and have interns tackle discreet projects
• Design long-term projects so they can be handed
over from one group or individual to the next
• Listen to the interns; they may bring some good
ideas/challenge our ideas
• Seize the opportunity to diversify the work force
of your institution

33. Benefits for the Interns
• Gain broad experience (in contrast to student
workers with more limited responsibilities and
opportunities to learn)
• Build a resume
• Get a sense of desired career direction
• In cohorts, gain from peers and mentor others
• Acquire life-long mentors
• Balance ideals of theory with the realities of
practice

34. Benefits for the Library
• Interns are eager employees, eager to learn and eager to
work
• Interns bring new ideas, fresh from school
• Interns are not constrained by job descriptions
• Interns may provide the extra needed employees for short-
term projects
• Interns may take on projects that can be passed on from
one group to another
• Interns may diversify to workplace
• Libraries contribute to the profession by offering individuals
before, during and after undergoing a formal library science
education a unique opportunity to appreciate and
participate in a real library work experience

35. Thank You!
谢谢
Beth Evans
bevans@brooklyn.cuny.edu