What It Is
About the Mellon Librarian Recruitment Program
"I liked the shadowing at the reference desk activity. Seeing someone in action helped me to come to my own conclusions about the way reference librarians interact with their public."
—2005 Mellon Intern
The Mellon Librarian Recruitment Program began in June 2003 when Oberlin College received funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The purpose of the Mellon Librarian Recruitment Program is to encourage talented and diverse undergraduates to pursue jobs in libraries.
The program aims to increase the number of librarians available to fill the projected national shortage of librarians due to retirements. Expanding the racial and ethnic diversity of librarians is also an objective of the program. Currently, the percentage of people of color working in libraries is not proportionate to the number of people of color nationally.
Through experience in and multifaceted exposure to library work, students will become aware of the variety of options available to them in this evolving career field.
The following libraries cooperatively participate in the program with Oberlin:
- Occidental College
- Swarthmore College
- Wellesley College
- The Robert W. Woodruff Library at the Atlanta University Center
- Johnson C. Smith University
- Saint Augustine's College
The program consists of:
- Internships for undergraduates*
- Academic library jobs for college graduates
- Scholarships for library science graduate program students*
- Programs that focus on library careers, trends and issues
* Available only to students who attend the participating colleges.
