Wow! I can’t believe today is the last day of my internship. It has really flown by. I feel like I just started! Looking back, this internship has been a great experience. Through the internship, I gained experience and learned a lot. The biggest project I worked on this summer was the Keys to the Capstone Podcast Series. While working on this project, I learned how to use new software programs such as Garageband and Audacity, which I think will serve me well in my future career. I also learned skills such as tailoring your instruction to the specific needs of the students you are serving. This was key when I was developing the podcasts. I also worked on the University Library’s booklet for the Week of Welcome in August. This gave me a lot of experience with library outreach. I learned the importance of outreach programs that get the students in the library doors, and once they are inside they can see what all the library has to offer and will hopefully come back and become a frequent library user. Working on the Week of Welcome booklet, I also collaborated with others from the different library branches on campus. I feel this will be valuable experience to have in my career because collaboration with others is common. The other aspect of my internship was assisting with instruction for student groups that came to the library. I got to observe some instruction sessions which was really helpful, and I used this blogging site to share a couple lesson plans so I could get hands-on experience planning for an instruction session. I also gave tours of the library to multiple student groups. This was one of my favorite aspects of the internship. I loved taking the students around and showing them what all the library has to offer, and I enjoyed interacting with them. It was really gratifying when a student showed genuine interest and was really excited to be there. I also read some research articles on pedagogy and instruction, which I found really interesting and will definitley be helpful since it is very likely that I will be in some sort of instruction position at some point in my career. Overall, the internship this summer was a beneficial and enjoyable experience. I learned about the instruction side of academic librarianship and learned some valuable skills along the way!
Jennifer