Preparing the Crew to Take the Helm: Benefits, Challenges and Perspectives of the LIS Practicum Experience

This program on hosting library school practicum students was presented by Karen Robinson, our St. Louis-based person for the library school in Columbia, and Julie Anne Portman of Fontbonne University, an organization that has hosted practicum students from Mizzou but also interns from other library schools.

The ideal experience, from Mizzou's point of view, seems to be a multi-faceted round robin where the student spends time working in every section of the library combined with a special project of some kind. One of the questions at the end pointed out that this seemed a bit contradictory. One way to address the contradiction is to not provide an ideal experience--there have been plenty of successful practicums that lean much more in the direction of special projects or much more in the direction of a round robin. Another way is to let the practicum student work it out. Karen pointed out that librarians deal with that kind of juggling in their time management all the time. There's no reason it can't be part of the practicum experience as well.

Benefits from hosting practicum students:

• Gives the supervising librarian management experience.


• Helps us articulate why we're doing things in certain ways (and may provide us a gentle nudge to consider if that is the best way).


• Provides the opportunity to work with someone with updated skills who is providing free help to the library.

• Be sure to read any guidance provided by the school. Mizzou's Practicum Guide has a special section for practicum supervisors, but there's valuable information throughout.


• It's important to provide feedback to practicum students. Empower them, but check their work and let them know how they are doing.


• Hosting a practicum student takes time.


• When thinking about projects for a practicum students, consider whether they are resume worthy. One of the most valuable aspects of a practicum from a student perspective is having experiences that can be discussed in a job interview.


• Go through an orientation with the practicum student. If a library hosts practicum students repeatedly, it may be wise to have an orientation check list that can be used at the beginning of each student's practicum experience.

• Writing procedures (practicum students come at it with fresh eyes and are able to write what they have just learned).


• Evaluations, analyses, and assessments of various kinds. One example is a vendor analysis.


• Reference inventory.


• Teaching or designing bibliographic instruction.


• Any project that brings to play the special expertise of the practicum student--an intern with knowledge of Hebrew was able to catalog some items that had been uncataloged for some time at Fontbonne, another intern was able to use her Physics background to evaluate the science collection.

Fontbonne has a more structured program than Mizzou's general practicum requirements. The interns go though an interview process, low-key but formal enough to be good interview experience. The program requires interns to read and write short summaries of nine articles, to keep a log, and to work in a variety of sections of the libraries and a variety of times and days of the week. The interns are more integrated into the employment structure at Fontbonne than I suspect is even possible at my institution--they meet with HR, have a log on for the intranet and email, and receive a small stipend. Fontbonne gives each intern a midpoint evaluation and a good-bye party.

Labels: conferences, library school

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