Below you will find additional information regarding the requirements for certain sections of the proposal template. The proposal template can be found on this LibGuide under Templates. Average proposals should total about 5 pages.
Undergraduate Internship Proposal in: [choose one of the following four categories]
- Circulation/Collections: relates to circulation and collections projects, e.g. weeding; protocol review, redesign, implementation; exhibits and displays.
- Outreach: supports both the Libraries and library collections, promotional activities & events, instruction.
- Special Projects: academically focused, often with an outside faculty member (but not required).
- User Engagement: meaningful resources and technologies to improve the library experience for a diverse patronage (e.g. website, accessibility, technology).
Internship Director(s):
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There may be up to two co-directors. Internship co-directors may be from different library branches or departments. Internship Directors may only supervise one Intern at a time. If the Internship Director is or will be supervising another internship, please include the current internship and end date in the proposal.
Project Deliverables:
- Describe in detail what the products and/or results of the internship will be. For example, a libguide or finding aid, a more efficient procedure, a completed student survey, reviewed and culled collections, etc. Deliverables may also include dissemination of internship results, for example a presentation at the Libraires’ Town Hall or a departmental meeting, a SOURCE Magazine article, social media postings, a Library exhibit, etc.
Roles of the Internship Director and team members:
- The internships are to be reported as a funding award in activity reports, and the time for the internship supervision will generally appear in reports as work within the primary job responsibility.
Required Activities:
- Tasks to be completed, deadlines, meetings, dissemination of results, etc.
- I.e. project tasks, any points of inflection such as deadlines for project deliverables, affiliate faculty meetings (for credited internships), reporting deadlines (if required), and dissemination of results (e.g. Townhall, Social media, Workshops, etc.).
- Supervisory Training (attended by Internship Director)
- Internship Directors must attend a workshop on supervising and mentoring or have previously taken a supervisory or mentorship training. Please ask the undergraduate Internship committee if your previous trainings fulfill this requirement.
- Onboarding student intern (Using the Libraries, Unit/Branch Tour, Services Review, Overview of Project)
- Undergrad Interns must be onboarded to the Libraries, including how to conduct Library research, review of overall services, and tours of the department/unit they will be assigned to. The Undergrad Internship Committee is here to assist with the development of this requirement.
- We strongly encourage all supervisors schedule a library 'one-shot' or similar library instruction session during the internship, whether provided by the internship directors or another library colleague. Minimally, information literacy, primary and secondary sources, research guides & subject specialists, and database searching should be covered.
- CV/Resume workshop (attended by student intern)
- Undergrad Interns must attend a CV/resume workshop, CV/resume consultation session with the Internship Director, or a workshop provided by Career Connections Center.
- Library Workshop/Training (attended by student intern)
- Undergrad Interns must attend at least one enriching opportunity provided by the Libraries: e.g. library workshops/trainings, curator/faculty talks, library instruction sessions, relevant and vetted webinars provided by affiliates.
- Regular meetings
- Please make time for regular meetings between student intern and internship director(s) for feedback.
- Final evaluation
- A final student evaluation is required at the end of the internship. Internship directors may choose the format of the evaluation with the intention of aiding the student in reflecting on their experiences and the knowledge and skills they acquired. The Undergrad Internship Committee is here to assist with the development of this requirement.
Optional Activities:
- Student Presentation
- Presentation by the student reflecting on the academic and professional outcomes of their internship. Audience may include the Libraries in addition to other units.
- Additional Activities Required for Credit
- Be mindful that if the student wishes to use this internship opportunity for credit/graduation requirements that they must make their own arrangements to do so. The academic unit may have specific requirements not listed here. Any outside requirements should be outlined prior to the start of any internship to be sure that the Library Internship Director, affiliated Library Supervisors, and Library Unit is willing to accommodate them.
