During the Spring semester each year of the grant, each campus selects a small number of students (2 to 10 per campus each year) to participate in an internship experience to familiarize them with the library profession and give them hands-on experience through both project work and other library activities.

The undergraduate internship consists of:

• a curricular component that introduces the students to librarianship
• project work with professional library staff

At some of the participating institutions, more extensive, full-time project and library work is offered on a competitive basis during the summer. The summer work may be done either at the student’s home library or a library away from campus.

While the undergraduate internship is open to all students, preference will be given to students from the four federally defined under-represented groups – African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans.

To encourage and support the matriculation of the most capable students in graduate library school, up to four $5,000 library school scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis among the participating institutions. The award serves as tangible encouragement to enroll in library school and pursue a library career.

Seniors and recent graduates who have applied to an ALA-accredited library school are eligible to apply for the scholarships. Preference is given to students from diverse backgrounds, and to those who participated in the undergraduate internship program.

Please contact Ray English, Director of Libraries, with any questions.

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