Listserv

Library Media Interns are to subscribe to the Palmer School Internship listserv and post a few times throughout their internship. Below are my listserv postings:

~Second post~Thoughts on Interships 4/17/11~ I am a couple days away from finishing up my second internship. I have loved every minute of both of them. My first internship was at an elementary school in Poughkeepsie. The librarian is amazing and she was always there to teach me whatever was teachable. She had classes pretty much all day, everyday. If there weren’t scheduled classes there was open library for the students to come in and get books. She is great with the students and you can tell she really enjoys her career. My second internship is at a junior high school in Wappingers. The librarian there is wonderful and willing to mentor however possible. She is showing me whatever she can to expose me to as much as possible. At the junior high level there aren’t as many scheduled classes coming in but there are students there almost every period. If not for a class then they are there for study hall or during lunch. What has surprised me the most during this entire process is that I no longer see high school as my first choice of schools to work in. I always thought I would want a high school but now my first choice is middle school. I did a complete 180. My choices used to be high school, elementary and middle. Now it’s middle, elementary and high school. I find it very interesting how this has all worked out for me. I would have never known if it wasn’t for the observations and internships required of us.

~First post - Thoughts on Internships 1/8/11~ I’d like to take this opportunity to ask the future librarians reading this to not forget all that we have been through to get to where we are or are about to be. Remember how difficult it was when you weren’t welcome with open arms and how it made you feel.

In the process of searching for my secondary internship I ran into a few obstacles. Actually one obstacle and that was the librarian at the school I was recommended to by one of my professors. To my surprise she made it clear from the beginning that she was not willing to open her arms to me. After weeks of trying to set up this internship I was told good luck and basically sent on my way. The internship never happened and I couldn’t believe that a fellow librarian would act this way.

I always try to be sympathetic to what people may be going through but if she was overwhelmed she could have said so.

Please remember this as we all graduate and start to work in libraries. Remember this when a grad student contacts you. Open your arms and heart to future librarians and please do not make them feel like they are being a nuisance. If you can’t take someone on for one reason or another, just tell them.

p.s. I have since found a wonderful secondary school to intern at.