Your internship is eligible for credit if it includes the opportunity to experience, as nearly as possible, the professional role of the supervisor. You should take an active part in such activities as program planning, task analysis, program implementation, facilitating direct contact with information users, attending meetings or training sessions, recommending options, and evaluating decisions. It is expected that you’ll work independently or with minimal supervision during a substantial portion of the internship.
In most cases, you will be expected to have completed at least 18 graduate hours toward the M.I.S., M.L.S., or Specialist in Library and Information Science program prior to entering an internship, with a grade-point average of B or better.
Because of this, you’ll likely enroll in the internship experience during your final semester.
Earning internship credit for your current job
If you work part time and want to earn ILS-Z 605 credit for it, the following conditions must be met:
- Your part-time job is relevant to your career goals.
- You have the approval of your direct supervisor, your academic adviser, and the ILS internship coordinator.
- Your internship duties are not the same as your normal job duties.
- Your internship duties fit in with your career objectives.
ILS-Z 605 internships normally last for one semester, or, approximately sixteen weeks. Your position as an intern should be part time, and should not exceed twenty hours of work per week. Typically, the internship requires eight to twelve hours of on-task activity each week of the semester. Your actual daily schedule should be determined by mutual agreement between you and your supervisor. Placements will be determined no less than one week prior to the beginning of the semester of your experience.
Raise interest in an ILS internship with your academic adviser early in your master’s degree or certification program. This will allow your advisor to help you select coursework that will adequately prepare you for your internship.
We encourage you to explore internship opportunities by visiting different organizations and connecting with potential supervisors to discuss internship possibilities. However, there should be no commitments made until the internship has been negotiated by the ILS internship coordinator.
Plan your internship the semester before your internship.
Submit your internship application before the mid-term of the semester preceding your internship semester. Talk to the ILS internship coordinator even sooner.
In most cases, supervisors will require that you make an appointment to interview for the internship. Just as the ILS internship coordinator may deny placement, a supervisor has the right to decline serving as a mentor during your internship.
Similarly, you may decline an offer for an internship placement. The goal is to secure an environment that will provide a quality internship experience for all parties involved.
It is important for your academic adviser to give guidance and recommendations as to when and where your internship should take place.
Your adviser is expected to help judge the adequacy of your academic background and skill set against the demands of the internship.
The internship is intended to provide you with a practical application of skills in addition to “entry level” experiences for positions similar to those held by a supervisor.
Your internship should involve a wide variety of tasks, problems, opportunities, observations, and challenges. It is never to be a clerical or a routine experience. A special project may be established by your supervisor which may consume a great deal of you time, but should not comprise your entire internship experience.
