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I have been working with the Folsom Community Library. See all the things I have done as well as my LTI anthropology (which is like my impression of the business) below!
My goal for this internship was to learn more about what it would be like to be a librarian, as well as gain job experience and work with my community. I feel like I accomplished those goals pretty well! I also learned the best lesson of all: librarians really do make good spies.
Here's one of the posters I made for an event at the library.
I am also going to be presenting my breakout box from orientation term at the library in January! Click here to see more information about my breakout box.
I am also going to be presenting my breakout box from orientation term at the library in January! Click here to see more information about my breakout box.
Things I do at my internship include checking books in and out, creating posters, helping with activities, and running after school programs! I love it a lot. It creates a fun environment where I feel like I can ask questions and learn a lot. I'm looking forward to continuing my internship through this year.
Things I do at my internship include checking books in and out, creating posters, helping with activities, and running after school programs! I love it a lot. It creates a fun environment where I feel like I can ask questions and learn a lot. I'm looking forward to continuing my internship through this year.
My mentor is Keagan Calkins. Here is my mentor profile below!
MENTOR PROFILE (Keagan Calkins)
1. How did you get where you are today? Chances are you would like to someday be where your mentor currently is in their career. Hearing their story can often help you in writing your own.
My undergrad was in arts administration (business side of being an artist) I thought I wanted to work in a museum. Lots of people in my family were librarians. I thought librarians were really great community people and they worked in the community well and helped a lot of people. I worked while I was at school. I Worked at school library, then decided that I liked community library work better. Here (South Hero) they had to switch to evening hours, so I applied and got the job. I graduated grad school in 2010 and got the job in 2016, so it was a pretty quick turnaround from graduating to becoming library director.
2. What qualities do you look for in the people you hire? Someday at an interview, you will probably find yourself face-to-face with someone very similar to your mentor. Get the scoop on what these people are really looking for in a casual setting.
Good customer service, friendly, kind. Patient. Willing to try and learn.
Computer skills.
For programming, you have to be a good networker and maybe have an artistic sensibility and know other artists.
That you like to read! (Even if you don’t read all the books, thats okay. Just anything in one genre.)
3. What do you see are upcoming trends in the industry? Since your mentor probably has more experience than you, it’s good to hear in advance what you might be facing in the future.
Libraries are an industies- even though were in the governoment, we are still competing. Voters might not approve your budget.
Bigger libraries are in trend.
Cali’s doing really cool stuff, though it might not work here, but it might!
Trends is moving away from being a quiet book space. Think more community.
STEM is being popular
House, work, being the third place where you don’t have to spend money to go there. A lot of stuff in consumerism, but not here.
Libraries are helping people get jobs, and learn computer skills and other skills.
Expanding on what a library and a library space can be used for.
4. I am looking to _____ (e.g. go to school for or find a career in_______) If you were me, what would you place your attention on and what are some pitfalls you would avoid? You mentor is there to guide you. Therefore, use your mentor's experience and knowledge to plan your own career advancement. I'm sure they wish they knew what they know now when they were in your shoes.
Librarianship is awesome. .
Lots of options on what type of librarian you want to be.
Librarianship skills can move you in a lot of different directions
Get your MILS. (Master degree in library science) Get it for as cheap as possible.
When in school, get as many different internships as possible to see the different types of libraries.
Even if you don’t end up in a library, an MILS can help you A TON.
You can get your undergrad degree in anything- get your degree in something you find SUPER interesting. You can jump off from your undergrad to libraries.
Don’t spend a ton of money on grad school. It’s expensive to get an MILS.
Get a degree!
Take extra classes to be tech savvy.
5. What do you like most about your career? This could be a valuable question especially if you are thinking about switching careers or are not sure about what your next step should be. Your mentor could be a source of great insight into another area of the industry.
Probably getting to build the new library, and getting able to build from the ground up. Research was fun. It’s been most exciting. I can’t wait to see the end product. And it’s not something evey librarian gets to experiance.
6. What characteristics or skills set you apart from your peers and enabled you to be so successful so quickly?
Luck and timing. I happened to not have a job, and live 20 min away when I was offered this job. ALWAYS work hard, otherwise what’s the point? I was a server for a long time, and I know what it’s like for your pay to be based on how nice you are. I’m always thinking about the customer sevice aspect. You want people to leave with a happy feeling. Just having a positive bubbly personality has helped a lot for me.
7. How do you manage work/life balance? With a demanding career, it sometimes seems impossible to separate your job from your personal life. Your mentor probably has some tricks up their sleeve as to how to get the most out of your personal time.
I’m forced to, cause I have little kids. I can’t check my phone at work, and I can’t do work when I’m home. I work nonstop when I’m here, and then check my phone at home but I don’t get work done because I can’t. I try not to work when I’m not at work. I get everything done here and I get everything done at home. Phones=bad. I’m kinda forced to balance.
8. How was your weekend? Getting to know your mentor on a personal level through their hobbies and interests is a very significant part of the mentor to mentored person relationship. Feel free to form both a friendship and professional relationship with your mentor and sharing stories can help strengthen the bond.
My weekends are Sunday to Monday. My husband and I are going out with my friends tonight. Last weekend was my husband’s birthday. I bought him a HUGE bag of Doritos. We had like 25 people at our house. I went to a library summit yesterday, and that was super fun.
Here's my LTI anthropology!
Here's my LTI anthropology!
Currently I am no longer doing this internship, as our Service Learning Term is starting soon. But I hope to do more things with the Worthem Library (What the Community Library is becoming) in the future! In fact, I am going to be doing a workshop on comic books and graphic novels in the summer, and I'm getting paid for it! I have loved this internship so much. I feel like I've learned a lot and gathered a lot of experience. I can definitely see myself continuing this internship next year.
Currently I am no longer doing this internship, as our Service Learning Term is starting soon. But I hope to do more things with the Worthem Library (What the Community Library is becoming) in the future! In fact, I am going to be doing a workshop on comic books and graphic novels in the summer, and I'm getting paid for it! I have loved this internship so much. I feel like I've learned a lot and gathered a lot of experience. I can definitely see myself continuing this internship next year.
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