Summer
Project Proposal Guidelines for Library Mentors
From the library's original IMLS grant proposal:
"Near the end of the first semester, the undergraduate library
fellows, in consultation with the Co-Director of the Undergraduate
Library Diversity Intern Program, will select specific projects
for concentrated work over the following summer and fall semester.
These projects will be determined by and tailored to each individual
Fellow's interests and experience. A mentor from the Library's
. . . staff will be assigned for each project selected. The goal
of this phase of the program is to provide the fellows with the
opportunity for 'real life' working experience in which they focus
on a project or projects of particular interest to them, and can
both see and share the concrete results of their efforts at the
culmination of their intern year."
Roles of mentors:
- Design projects that meet the goals of the IMLS program.
- Develop projects in a way that works for you! Projects can
be long-term or short-term; they can require only a few hours
or many hours; they can begin and end at times convenient to
your own schedule.
- Provide appropriate guidance, instruction, and support so
that students successfully complete their projects.
Suggestions for your writing your proposal:
Project title: provide a brief title for your project;
make it catchy, if possible!
Mentor(s): name(s) of the person(s) who will direct the
project and provide guidance and instruction to the student
Department: your library department/branch
Date: date you submit the project proposal form
Aspects of librarianship related to the project: indicate
which area(s) of librarianship the student will gain knowledge
about as a result of working on the project
Number of openings: include the total number of students
you are willing to mentor for this project; indicate whether students
will work independently or collaboratively with one another; if
you are willing to sponsor more than one student, but wish to
work with only one at a time, you may indicate that here as well
Estimated length of project: number of weeks (or days,
for smaller projects) each student is expected to spend on the
project; this, along with hours/day, may be the most challenging
part of the project to estimate in advance; because inaccurate
estimates of the time involved may affect a student's entire summer
schedule, it is important to develop a time frame that is realistic
and appropriate to the project
Hours/day: number of hours per day you expect each student
to devote to the project
Dates available: time period over which you are able/willing
to direct the project
Preferred skills/knowledge: please be generous, yet realistic,
in setting qualifications; for example, if a project involves
cataloging foreign-language materials, it is reasonable to expect
a certain level of comfort or fluency with the language, and therefore
that the project will not entail the student learning a new language.
Similarly, if the proejct involves developing content for web
pages, it is reasonable to expect that the mentor will not teach
HTML, and that the student will either already have a certain
level of proficiency with creating/authoring web pages, or the
mentor will arrange for appropriate support for turning the student's
work into a web page. Please keep projects as open as possible
to as all students by keeping qualifications to a minimum.
Additional comments: additional clarifying details about
availability, project length, deadlines, flexibility in hours
to be worked, etc.
Description: a paragraph describing in more detail what
the project entails, typical tasks the student will perform while
working on the project, how the project is connected to the goals
and objectives of the department/branch or the library, what the
student is expected to learn from the project, etc.
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