hi! this might sound like a loaded question, but where were your previous jobs/internships and what were they like? i'm a current sophomore student, and i'm trying to get my feel of internships and the like! thank you!!
librarienne:
I don’t think its loaded! I previously worked at a database company that many libraries use. During my first year of graduate school, which was entirely online, I quit that database job and took a corporate job that was closer to Boston. I also began working nights and weeks as a library clerk at a college library. Eventually I got a part-time job at my current library as a “Program Coordinator,” and at the time I was still working as a clerk as well as at a coffee shop. When I was hired as a full-time librarian after I graduated with my MLIS, I was able to quit my library clerk and coffee shop jobs.
As many of you know, I went to Simmons for my MLIS and their program, at the time, included mandatory internships. So in addition to the series of jobs that I just mentioned, I also worked as an archival intern at both the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the Concord Free Public Library special collections department. I loved both of these internships because the collections that I was assigned to process were very interesting. At the same time, I learned that I like interacting with people just as much as archival processing, so I knew reference was, at least initially, what I wanted to be doing once I had my degree.
I’m not sure if you are interested in a library career or not, but while this advice is true for all jobs its particularly true for libraries: get that experience. Choose a graduate program that includes or even requires work study opportunities because you will graduate with actual work experience that you can put on your resume as opposed to a degree which basically everyone will have. If that’s not an option, write a thesis and then apply to present it at conferences. Do something during your studying that sets you apart. The MLIS degree is the common denominator. What else are you offering?
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