The Pre-Librarian Librarian, or the Value of the Library Student Co-op Placement
By Amanda Tiller, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University
I remember the first day of my MLIS at the University of Western Ontario, as I looked around the room and estimated about one hundred and fifty students besides myself. We would become friends, and when the time came, we’d become friendly competitors upon the completion of our degrees. We realize that it is very important for us to have a job-seeking plan in place when our degrees are completed.
Even before selecting a university, I had read much about what to do with an MLIS and how to make the most my MLIS training and education. In almost all the literature I consulted, one piece of advice from former graduates remained consistent: secure practical library work experience before graduation! I should not simply rely on my degree to ensure my future success. The right school for me, I concluded, would be one which supported practical or on-site experience within a library setting, or better yet, one which offered the opportunity to work terms or co-ops in a Library. This would be enjoyable as well as it would provide the opportunity not only to gain professional experience and personal confidence, but also to form professional contacts with librarians. Indeed, the literature convinced me of this fact.
One of the first and most convincing pieces of evidence I read was an editorial by John Berry in the September 2005 edition of Library Journal which insisted that “library experience is as important in getting hired by a library as the MLS, maybe even more so. That has been and still is the report from recent graduates of library and information studies.” Berry also adds, “The profession must consider making the availability of a formal practicum a requirement for the accreditation of any LIS program.” Berry argues that the reason for this necessity is that “some kind of library practice gives a new graduate an immense edge in an extremely competitive arena and adds substantially to the educational value of the coursework” (p.8).
I noticed similar theories concerning the benefits of obtaining practical library experience before graduation in Tom Bahlinger's chapter “Library Work Experience: Get Some!” published in the larger work, The Librarian's Career Guidebook. Bahlinger is of the view that his “work experience during graduate school is the primary reason [he] landed an excellent tenure-track, faculty status position upon graduation from library school” (2004, p. 141). The reasons for this certainty are numerous. Work experience during graduate school, Bahlinger states, “will help you succeed in graduate school and when interviewing for and working in your first professional job” (p. 140). Library work experience may also help students decide the type of library in which they wish to work post-graduation, and allow students to “fill their resume with relevant work experience and create a list of librarians willing to write letters of recommendation” for future employment opportunities (p. 140). As I had presupposed, “just about every [fellow] graduate will have a high GPA. Experience will make your resume stand out” (p. 140). As one way to gain experience, Bahlinger recommends “independent study or internships (or practica)...[as] excellent and challenging methods for MLS students to gain practical experience” (p. 43). I was then on a mission to find a school which offered such experience.
Flipping through the same book which contained Bahlinger's article, I noticed another chapter by Kevin O'Kelly entitled “Choosing a Library Program.” In this article, O'Kelly quotes Giovanna Gossage, former graduate of The University of Western Ontario, who claims, “one of the reasons I chose Western was they offered a co-op program. It made a lot of sense to me to be able to get work experience while I was in school” (p. 106). Immediately, I headed for my computer and read through the information offered on Western's MLIS website.
Western's co-op program is a potential benefit to both students and employers. Among the student benefits outlined on Western's MLIS website are the opportunities which co-op provides to students, “to work in different areas of the library and information science field.” Co-op allows students to “establish...employer contacts for post-graduation,” and provides them with a forum to display newly-learned skills in their preferred setting. Unlike the student who does not apply for co-op or practical work experience, the student who takes the opportunity will have more opportunities to form professional contacts. In a number of cases, co-op employers also become permanent employers after graduation. In fact, many employers also benefit from the co-op program as a “cost-effective means of evaluating potential employees.” As Western's MLIS co-op site also reads, “co-op placements can be part of your institution's recruitment strategy” (Employer benefits, 2009).
I applied to Western’s MLIS program knowing that I would also apply to co-op. According to Western’s 2007 Master of Library and Information Science Placement Survey, one third of responding students from the 2007 graduating class indicated that the “skill or knowledge most influential in securing employment” after graduation was their experience as co-op students (p. 1). In 2006, 48% of surveyed students responded similarly (p. 1). I began my studies at Western in the Fall of 2007, and in the Summer of 2008, I applied to co-op.
I have thus far completed three coursework terms at Western, and nearly two co-op terms at Memorial University of Newfoundland's Queen Elizabeth II library. Western's co-op program offered me the opportunity to return to my home province to gain valuable work experience in the setting of my choice (the academic library), and in the university which was my home from 1999-2006 while I completed my Bachelor of Arts Honours degree, and later my Master of Arts degree, both in English, Language and Literature. I have had the chance to meet many friends and contacts in my current setting, and I have been given the opportunity to translate much of what I learned during my MLIS education into practical experience.
My main responsibility within the Information Services Division at the QEII is reference service. I work at the main Information and Research Help Desk, and I respond to all incoming email and telephone reference inquiries. I also participate in chat reference. Among my other duties and on-going projects is the development and weeding of the current English literature portion of the library's reference collection. Because of my background, I have been helping a colleague to weed current holdings in the English subject area, and also to select new additions to the collection based on current course offerings and user needs. I have also been actively posting weekly E-Resources Spotlights on our library homepage to showcase our growing collection of electronic holdings. In addition, I have recently completed the most current Timing Survey at the library's Information Desk, the purpose of which is to assess current trends and staffing at the desk. I observed all reference transactions and timed the duration of each. I also noted how many patrons waited for service, and timed the extent of their wait. Some additional data includes which staff member (the first librarian scheduled on the desk, the second librarian, off-duty librarian, or library assistant) responded to each question. This data was compared with that of other years to assess changing trends at the reference desk.
Drawing from the results of this study, I was able to determine current staffing sufficiency, and identify any issues which should be addressed to better serve the needs of the library's user community. Lastly, I also participated in Library Instruction during my stay at the QEII. While I have past experience as a per-course instructor in English at Memorial, I am grateful to have received the opportunity to instruct library instruction sessions, mostly for first year English, Language and Literature classes.
As previously stated, Western's MLIS website lists the potential benefits of the co-op program from the “student perspective” (2009). Without a doubt, my time at the QEII has benefited me immensely. I now have formal reference experience, some collection development experience, and Library Instruction experience, as well. I can now say that I have worked in an academic Library, the setting of my choice, and have connected with colleagues who are able to provide references for future job applications. The research skills I learned in library school have now been honed because of my many hours of desk reference experience, and I now have a better sense of what academic library users want and need from their university's library. My wonderful colleagues at the QEII have also encouraged me to look beyond my duties within the division and to take advantage of other professional opportunities during my co-op. I have joined the Newfoundland and Labrador Library Association (NLLA) and the Atlantic Provinces Library Association (APLA), and have also volunteered my time on the NLLA conference planning committee. The benefits of the co-op option offered by Western are numerous. I feel much more confident in entering librarianship after having nearly completed my co-op at the QEII than I would have had I not opted to give co-op a try.
Not only does the co-op benefit the student, but the temporary hiring of dedicated and upcoming capable librarians who are eager to please and to hone their newly learned skills, is also a definite benefit to the employer. Co-op students are available every term for employers to hire during times when many libraries may need extra help, and at a fraction of the cost (Employer benefits, 2009). Many extra, yet important duties that often go unnoticed by busy librarians can now be filled and completed by these students. Hiring a co-op student also introduces employers to potential future employees.
During my co-op, I have contributed meaningfully to the tasks and workload of the Information Services Division at the QEII. As Barbara Quarton notes in her article Five Steps to an Effective Internship Program: Providing a Meaningful Experience for Interns and Librarians, “top-notch graduate students in library and information science (LIS) programs can become effective reference interns to lighten the workload at busy reference desks” (2002, p. 109). I have filled many desk hours, I have successfully helped patrons with their research, with narrowing and focusing their searches, and I have incorporated the duty of answering all telephone and email reference questions into my daily projects. I have taught many library instruction classes which other librarians would have taught in my absence, and my Timing Survey will help to define current requirements and successes at the Information desk. I believe that the timing of my co-op placement worked well for the Library also.
The QEII generally hires a co-op student during the busy Fall and Winter semesters, as opposed to the Summer semester when transactions at the Information desk and core duties within the department are manageable. In so many ways, co-op programs and relevant work experience, in general, are beneficial to MLIS or MLS students. The degree itself is time-consuming and, as such, the notion of adding to the workload or extending the duration of the degree is bothersome to many students. I am glad; however, that I took the opportunity. My confidence in my abilities has grown with my experience, and the theories and skills learned in graduate school have come together in a more practical sense. I still have not completed my degree, but my co-op experience will undoubtedly be a definite advantage to future employers when I have.
Bahlinger, T. (2004). “Library work experience: get some!” The Librarian's Career Guidebook. Priscilla K. Shontz, ed. Toronto: Scarecrow Press, 2004. 140-146.
Berry, J. N. (2005). An internship must be required in LIS programs: The practice prerequisite. Library Journal Sept. 15, 8.
Employer Benefits. (2009). Master of Library and Information Science. Retrieved March 27, 2009 from http://www.fims.uwo.ca/mlis/co-op/employer/index.htm
Master of Library and Information Science placement survey. 2006. (2006). Faculty of Information and Media Studies: The University of Western Ontario. Retrieved March 27, 2009 from http://www.fims.uwo.ca/mlis/careers/placement/placement06.pdf
Master of Library and Information Science placement survey. 2007. (2007). Faculty of Information and Media Studies: The University of Western Ontario. Retrieved March 27, 2009 from http://www.fims.uwo.ca/mlis/careers/placement/placement07.pdf
O'Kelly, K. (2004). “Choosing a library program” The Librarian's Career Guidebook. Priscilla K. Shontz, ed. Toronto: Scarecrow Press, 2004. 103-108.
Quarton, B. (2002). Five steps to an effective internship program: providing a meaningful experience for interns and librarians. College & Research Libraries News Feb. 2002, p. 109-111.
Student Benefits. (2009). Master of Library and Information Science. Retrieved March 27, 2009 from http://www.fims.uwo.ca/mlis/co-op/student/index.htm
