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Program
Description
The Oberlin College Library Diversity Intern Program is made
possible through a grant from the Institute
of Museum and Library Services, a federal grant-making agency
located in Washingon, D.C. The long-term goal of the program is
to increase the number of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds
entering the field of librarianship. The program strives to continue
Oberlin College's rich history of promoting diversity in higher
education and its success in sending its graduates into library
careers.
The Library will recruit six participants from the junior class
annually. The first semester of the internship will take place
during the spring of the junior year and consist of paid, part-time
training that will include lectures and discussions related to
librarianship, hands-on experience, and field trips to other types
of libraries. Interns will spend the summer in paid full-time
activity at Oberlin working intensively with librarian mentors
on special projects. On-campus projects will continue on a part-time
basis during the fall semester. During January of their senior
year, interns will earn academic credit for off-campus Winter
Term projects with Oberlin alumni librarians. Advice and help
in applying to graduate school will be a significant benefit of
the internship.
Annually, the library will choose one participant to continue
as a full-time graduate intern. The studentn selected will have
both demonstrated an interest in pursuing librarianship as a career
and excelled in the undergraduate program. The graduate intern
will gain in-depth experience in librarianship and assist in coordinating
the undergraduate internship program. The graduate intern will
also work to enhance library services for minority students in
general and serve as a liaison to minority students on campus.
Library staff expect that the combination of mentoring, training,
observation and work experience within the library will provide
a unique perspective on professional library work and result in
an exceptionally strong foundation from which to pursue graduate
studies in library and information science.
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