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The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center |
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Internships or Practicums – Does It Matter? by Suzan Lee |
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Yes, it matters a great deal. Our profession
is unusual in that a majority of our professionals have entered into the
information profession as a second career. With life experience plus
previous work experience, one may think that a MLS degree is sufficient
to obtain an entry-level position, but this is not so. Our previous work and life experiences make our professionals more mature; and therefore, better equipped than most entry-level employees in handling pressure. But knowledge and skill sets are two separate and equally important items that every information professional should have. It’s one thing to be fluent in reference sources; it’s quite another to put into practice what you know with that what the requestor is asking for. For example, you may have taken an online database class but can you confidently search any topic, individual or company in Factiva, Lexis-Nexis and Dialog? If someone were to ask you to obtain the most recent league table released by The Wall Street Journal in the next 15 minutes (by email), would you be able fulfill the request in a timely matter? If the request is unclear to you, it could be because you were not exposed to industry jargons such as a “league table” or perhaps you are unsure which of the three databases to use to obtain the league table or even how far back in time you need to search. An internship would be able to give you the exposure to the terminologies, a wider range of online and print sources, the pressures of a particular corporate environment as well as advice on managing requestor’s expectations, etc. The application of your education can be best learned in an internship/practicum. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of an internship. To put it bluntly, the value of an internship is the difference between having a marketable or an employable relevant experience that will get you your first pick of the entry-level positions versus settling for a less than an ideal employment. Some MLS students are fortunate in that they are currently employed either full-time or part-time (short-term or long-term) in a library environment. For these MLS students, completing a library internship may not be as important, particularly if they are employed in the library field of their choice. If not, an internship is just as important. The purpose of an internship is to equip the MLS student with actual work experience that is directly relevant to their first entry-level position. Relevancy is important as different fields within librarianship have their own skill set or competency requirements. The internship may reveal that a particular field of librarianship is definitely not for you. Such a result is not a waste of your time. Eliminating your fields of interest is one way of determining your ideal field or work environment. You should not limit yourself to just one internship. Invest time in as many internships as you can. If you lack the time, I highly recommend that you make arrangements for informational interviews or librarian shadowings. Not only will this expose you to different types of librarianship available, but you may meet your mentor. In the least, you have met a future peer who may be able to help you to network. One way of seeking out potential internship opportunities or librarians to conduct your informational interviews or shadowing is to contact the local chapter of a library association; whether by geography or by subject. For example, if you are interested in corporate librarianship in the New York metro area, you should contact the NY Chapter of the Special Libraries Association (http://www.sla.org/chapter/cny) as well as their Business & Finance division (http://www.slabf.org/). Each chapter or division of a library association will have a website that will provide you with a contact list of officers. Don’t be shy. Whether by email or by phone, contact an officer. I was always pleasantly surprised by associations’ willingness to help me when I was a student. About the Author: Suzan Lee is a Senior Research Librarian at UBS Warburg LLC. Prior to UBS Warburg, she has worked for JPMorgan and Credit Suisse First Boston. For the past 5 years, she has run MLS student-related programs including the internship program for the student members of the NY chapter of the Special Libraries Association. Article added May 2003 Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the LIScareer editors.
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Page last updated
10/03/2005
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