Rising with Experience: VLA 2025 presentation
Cohort model
"The best part of the internship was probably participating in the book club with other interns and attending faculty meetings where we discussed their careers. This was extremely helpful because it gave me the idea that I could potentially see myself working at a library. I didn’t know enough about this career field before, but I really enjoyed it because it was different from my past internship, which was with different children and did not have as much independence. The book club was my favorite because the book was excellent, and it was a great to hear other people’s opinion. It allowed me to build community, which was especially awesome as a commuter student."
Module example: exhibit design
Students taking the exhibit design module work with the Outreach Librarian to:
- create a proposal
- search the library's collections
- create an exhibit title list
- create a virtual exhibit (libguide)
- create marketing materials
Virtual exhibit examples
These virtual exhibits were created by students who completed the exhibit design module (1 week) as part of the exploration internship. Their processes focused on title selection and marketing.
Cataloging and Metadata
Students taking the Cataloging and Metadata module can take either a 1 or 2 week version. In both versions, students receive a mixture of readings about the field, written guides and templates to assist in constructing and editing records within the ILS, and hands-on experience performing common duties at entry and higher level technical services positions under the supervision of the Metadata Librarian.
Readings are grouped into a series of lessons students take. Each lesson contains 1-2 readings and is followed by a discussion about the materials, then practical application of the information via hands-on experience.
Lessons are:
- Lesson 1: Foundations, terms, what is metadata and cataloging
- Lesson 2: Understanding records, practicing with original cataloging
- Lesson 3: Reviewing MARC fields
- Lesson 4: Ethics, rights, changing systems, etc.
Two week students receive a further lesson:
- Lesson 5: LC Subjects
Students further get hands-on experience from:
- Reviewing the records of shelf-ready items the library outsourced cataloging for
- Copy-cataloging records from OCLC Connexion and seeing if edits can or should be made
- Creating original MARC records for zines in the library's zine collection
- Last Updated: Sep 29, 2025 2:56 PM
- URL: https://libguides.hollins.edu/internshipsVLA2025
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