I’d like to share with my peers the process I went through to find my summer internship in 2012. I felt a lot of pressure to rush to find an internship that fit my wants and needs, so I got a huge jump start on my search and began looking in January. I knew that I wanted to work in a local public library, so I looked at a map of my target area (Ann Arbor) and picked out about 10-12 surrounding towns and cities that were within driving distance. I searched for their library websites and contacted the directors of each. My cold-email looked like this:
To Whom It May Concern,
I am currently a masters student in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. My specialty is Library and Information Science and I am looking for an internship in a public library for the summer of 2012. My curriculum so far has included classes on contextual inquiry, reference librarianship and media for children and young adults and I would be open to interning in any of those areas, or any other areas that have openings.
My background includes a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Michigan State University and a year's experience as a project manager for a medical software company. I am currently working part time in the Hatcher Graduate Library here at U of M.
If you have any openings I would love to apply. Attached is my resume. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Leah Williams
I heard back from a handful of the libraries I emailed and received mixed responses. Some were not offering internships and some were happy to have me as an unpaid intern. I ended up interviewing with the director of the Romulus Public Library who was very happy that I had reached out to her. While her offer was unpaid, it was exactly the kind of experience I was looking for. Because I started my search so early I had everything arranged by March 1st. I was able to finish the semester without that monkey on my back.
This may have been an unusual way of securing an internship, but the moral of the story is that great opportunities are out there that you might not find unless you ask. Whether you want to work in the Library of Congress or your hometown public library, reaching out to your ideal employer is the best place to start.
-Leah Williams, MSI 2013
To Whom It May Concern,
I am currently a masters student in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. My specialty is Library and Information Science and I am looking for an internship in a public library for the summer of 2012. My curriculum so far has included classes on contextual inquiry, reference librarianship and media for children and young adults and I would be open to interning in any of those areas, or any other areas that have openings.
My background includes a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Michigan State University and a year's experience as a project manager for a medical software company. I am currently working part time in the Hatcher Graduate Library here at U of M.
If you have any openings I would love to apply. Attached is my resume. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Leah Williams
I heard back from a handful of the libraries I emailed and received mixed responses. Some were not offering internships and some were happy to have me as an unpaid intern. I ended up interviewing with the director of the Romulus Public Library who was very happy that I had reached out to her. While her offer was unpaid, it was exactly the kind of experience I was looking for. Because I started my search so early I had everything arranged by March 1st. I was able to finish the semester without that monkey on my back.
This may have been an unusual way of securing an internship, but the moral of the story is that great opportunities are out there that you might not find unless you ask. Whether you want to work in the Library of Congress or your hometown public library, reaching out to your ideal employer is the best place to start.
-Leah Williams, MSI 2013