DLIS Student Reflects on Recent Unique Opportunity

DLIS Student Tess Colwell

The METRO Innovative Internship program is meant to provide an opportunity for graduate students and recent graduates to obtain funding for otherwise unpaid internships at New York City libraries, archives and museums. The initiative began in the fall of 2013 to encourage innovation within METRO member institutions. One of the two recipients of the award this fall included St. John’s DLIS student, Tess Colwell. Colwell worked on a digital imaging project for the Center of Jewish History.

Summer Internship at MOMA, by Mary Glynn

I spent the summer interning at the museum of modern art library, which really was a great experience, once I got over the fact that I was the oldest intern ever! There were a lot of general circulation duties like shelving and paging because it is a closed stacks library, but I also got involved in a number of specific projects. My favorite work was working with the preservation librarian, which is so much more involved than I was aware of. The MOMA library has a wonderful collection of art books but many of them are special collections and in pretty bad condition. These were sent to the building MOMA has in Queens and put on a waiting list essentially for repair. This varied from simply creating covers for them to very involved re creation of books where the spine was badly damaged. I was able to utilize my creative side working on these projects, and the only down side is the building in Long Island city was seriously the coldest place I have ever worked. Artwork and special collections not on exhibition are housed there so it is a very climate controlled environment. The book collection housed here though is unbelievable, and I had many books in my hands worth over $20,000.

Welcoming Students to a New Semester

A week before classes were scheduled to begin, DLIS held its semiannual orientation meeting for new and returning students at the D’Angelo Center on the Queens Campus.

The meeting provided new students a chance to engage with each other and hear about continuing student experiences, while returning students caught up after a summer of internship and work opportunities.

New students arrived first to receive introductory information to benefit their inclusion into the program. A few select Graduate Assistants took the opportunity to give advice to the newcomers based on their personal experiences here at St. John’s. Above all, our Graduate Assistants stressed the importance of self-motivation and organization as a key component to success in the program. They encouraged new students to take advantage of every opportunity to introduce themselves to classmates, making the online learning environment much more personal and engaging. DLIS alumni April Earle left our new students with one important message, “Commit to what it is you say you’re going to do…you’re here for yourself”.

Summer Internships

The field of library and information science offers numerous opportunities for experience in the workplace. LIS students can and should take continued advantage of the learning opportunities available to them through participation at local libraries, archives, museums, galleries and other information organizations.

Tess & Sean share their summer internship experiences

Tess Colwell

Tess worked on a digitization project in the archives of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP Archives contains the historical records documenting the development and operation of water supply and distribution in New York City. Tess was instructed to scan thousands of engineering contract drawings related to the water supply system in New York City. She also cooperated with another intern to apply metadata about the scanned drawings to a spreadsheet.

Spring Symposium 2014: Career Services

Dr. Kristin Szylvian

Dr. Kristin Szylvian served as moderator for St. John’s University and St. John’s College Career and Internship Advisor, Karen Acampado.

The Value of Internships

Get experience! Internships are a great way to gain experience in the profession. Internships are not a requirement for earning your MLS degree (except for School Librarianship), however you will find that your advisor will highly recommend that you seek this opportunity.
Students should ask the director or faculty about recommendations for potential internships, though it is up to students to arrange them. Self- reliance is an important professional attribute. There are different levels of credit available for un- paid internships (you can earn 0, 1, 2, or 3 credits for an internship, up to a total of 6 credits), but currently it is SJU policy that paid internships cannot be used towards earning credits. Dr. Olson is working to see if this can be changed. Institutional and departmental approval is required before any internship can begin, so start planning your summer and fall internships now!

Joseph de Lorenzo’s Networking Leads to D.C. Internship

“At the Spring 2012 DLIS Symposium, I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to have a discussion with Maureen Sullivan, the current President of the American Library Association (ALA). As a result of our discussion, Ms. Sullivan put me in contact with the Director of the ALA Office of Government Relations (OGR) in Washington, DC. To my unbelievable delight, this led to a summer internship in our nation’s capital working at the heart of the intersection of librarianship and government and politics.”

“During my internship, my primary responsibility was a records management project. This project enabled me to create a records schedule, implement a records management plan, and learn, practice, and refine skills key to being a librarian, such as organization, flexibility, collaboration, and attention to detail. I truly learned a great deal from the talented men and women in the ALA Washington Office and I am happy to report that they are doing a tremendous job fighting for libraries all across the country!”

“The importance of this article though is not to describe one student’s summer experience. The importance of this article is to let all students know that professionals in the DLIS, the ALA and other organizations are welcoming people who are working hard to provide opportunities to students and young professionals from which they can learn and build rewarding careers. Internship opportunities are all around you, they are incredibly rewarding, and they are the key to building a successful career in a challenging economic environment.”

Summer Intern Round Up

DLIS students stayed busy this summer! Internships come in many shapes and sizes, but most importantly are a way for students to get real life experience in their chosen specialty. The “intern round-up” is to recognize the great work our students have done over the break and to demonstrate the variety of experiences available.

Felissa Fine interned at Baruch College.

Katrina Ortega interned at the Archive of Contemporary Music.

Megan Margino helped process the archival collections of the Citizens Housing & Planning Council and completed a technical services project in the Suffolk Community College Library.

Christian Collins interned for the Queens Library’s New Americans Program, the department responsible for materials and services for speakers of languages other than English in Queen’s 62 community libraries.

Sharell Walker attended the annual ALA conference and was part Spectrum Diversity group and meetings.

Len Savoleo began an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, started an inventory of the stacks- checking for damaged books, and getting to know all the different aspects of their library.

Stephanie Jo Elstro interned at Poets House cataloging and preparing for their annual showcase of poetry published in the last year.

 Christian Collins interned for the Queens Library’s New The Americans Program, the department responsible for materials and services for speakers of languages other than English in Queen’s 62 community libraries.”

Some of our interns will be speaking at the DLIS Fall 2012 Symposium on November 3rd. Join us to hear all of the interesting things they have to say!

Intern Round Up

Nicole Husbands, MLS’13

Stephanie Elstro, MLS’13

Joanna Harris MLS’13

Tara LaWare MLS

Katrina Ortega, MLS’13

Preparing for Summer Break: More than Stocking up on Beach Reads

As the days get longer, DLIS faculty and students begin to prepare for summer break. Summer break is a great opportunity to pick up a course and an internship. During the summer months, the DLIS of=ice is open and available to students, but faculty and staff work lighter hours. Please contact us if you need assistance, and stay up to date with your SJU email. Below we answer some of FAQ about summer semesters:

What courses are offered?

You can view the course listing on the DLIS Current Students page. Summer courses are offered in two sessions, with a week long intensive Post Session. Summer session dates:

Summer Session I: May 28 – July 9. Summer Session II: July 11 – August 22 Post Session: August 19 – August 23

Can I study abroad?

Yes. Courses are being offered this summer in Rome. Registration has already closed, but contact the department immediately if you are still interested. Also, consider internship opportunities abroad. Internships can count toward credits. Work with your advisor to apply for credit. Plan ahead for an opportunity to study abroad with Dr. Lee in Jamaica next Spring.

Are there scholarships and graduate assistantships available? Yes, they are limited. Graduate assistantships have already been assigned, but if interested in summer graduate assistantship let your supervisor know or contact DLIS today. Summer assistantships at St. John’s are for summer tuition only. No stipend is provided.

The O’Connell Scholarship still applies to summer courses.

How do I find an internship?

There are many ways to find internships, now is the time to start for summer. 1) DLIS regularly forwards internships postings, so check your email! 2) Talk with your advisor or a faculty member.  3) INeedaLibraryJob.com is one of the most comprehensive websites for positions in the Library and Information Science field. 4) SJU Career Link: The SJU Career link is full of internships with employers seeking St. John’s students. Do not miss this excellent resource, which includes many LIS positions.

I am not able to take summer courses, how else can I stay engaged with LIS?
1) Connect with professional associations.  2)Study for comprehensive exams and prepare your ePortfolio. 3) Read LIS blogs & professional publications. 4) Volunteer 5) Join a student group.

I don’t live near New York, but want to stay engaged with DLIS, what can I do?
Register for LIS 270 tutorial; follow us on Facebook; join a student group.

Do I need to check my St. John’s email during summer break?
YES! It is how DLIS contacts you with important information about courses, registration, your bursar bill, jobs, internships, etc. If you don’t like logging into your SJU email, be sure to forward to an email account you check daily. If going on vacation, it is good professional practice to set up an alert that you are not checking your email. Be sure to provide a return date for when you will check your email. Information Science field.