I want to emphasize the importance of internships, volunteering, and/or practicums in helping new LIS students find library jobs. This is especially true for those who do not have any library experience.

Basically, this is a great way to "get your foot in the door" of the library community. You get to meet lots of great librarians and gain practical experience. These librarians can then become personal references when you are interviewing for jobs... plus, you are more likely to hear of job openings if you know people currently working in a library. So, I encourage all LIS students to consider internships, volunteering in a library, and library practicums!

---

Check out the Talking Books Librarian blog at http://talkingbookslibrarian.blogspot.com

When I attended library school, a library internship was not mandatory to obtain my MLS. However, I also have an undergraduate minor in library media, and I was required to complete an internship to complete my minor.

A library internship or practicum is so vital I think every library school student should be required to complete one before finishing their master's degree (a library is a venue for lifelong learning, folks.)

An aspiring teacher, and those responsible for his/or her development will use the student teaching requirement as an opportunity to develop and nuture that person, and build upon their strengths and identify areas for improvement. A new teacher will have more confidence stepping into the classroom the first days of class than they would have without a student teaching practicum.

Aspiring librarians should also take note that while a library internship or practicum is an ideal opportunity to network and gain experience, it is your time to gain self-confidence about your skills, develop areas of expertise, and note the areas where you need to improve.

Library internship was an elective credit class at my university.
Where I was attending library school, it was a predominantly undergraduate state university so graduate students were all but invisible part of the student body. I spent spring semester volunteering (on my own) at the small county public library downtown and the following fall semester in the university library. One semester with the public, another with undergrads.
Both have been valuable experiences.

Excellent point, Brian. I would add that a good resume will predict how you will perform in the future in the job you are applying for.

I recently completed a library assistantship program designed to give librarians already holding an MLS a change to work on a second master’s degree. Rather than receiving a salary for my 20 hours a week work in an academic library, I was given free tuition to work on a second master’s degree at the university (along with health insurance, too). I am trying to discover if any institutions other than the one I attended offer a program like this. Has anyone else participated in any type of program designed to let librarians earn a second master’s degree in exchange for working in a library? The experience certainly helped me with job hunting, and I’m planning to write about my experience. I would love to hear if other programs like this exist. Thanks!

Do academic libraries accept volunteers who are not students at the campus? I would eventually like to switch from public to academic libraries but have zero experience.