Library internship: Course content goes live

“Library work is first of all people work,” writes Cuesta College library director Mark Stengel in a welcome letter to Cuesta College library and information technology interns. “[Y]our successful efforts to establish relationships with your supervisors are the first of many learning experiences fostered by the internship requirement.”

LIBT 214 is the final course in my studies toward certification and an Associate’s degree in Library and Information Technology. Course content went live today on the distance-ed Moodle platform.

As I indicated in a “Personal Introductions” assignment for LIBT 214:

I began my studies in Fall 2010 with the hope of transitioning into a career in library support. At the time, I worked full-time for a newspaper publisher.

I started volunteering at my public library and a small lending library.

In October, I officially embarked on my career as a library professional. I work 15 hours per week in the library media center at Bellview Elementary School, Ashland School District, in Ashland, Oregon.

Something that my classmates may be surprised to learn is that I install knit and crocheted “tags” at libraries. I curate images of my work and other people’s tags on a Facebook page, Yarn Bombing at Your Library.

I am interning out of the Instructional Media Center of a neighboring school district in Medford, Oregon. My internship will introduce me to library media centers at various elementary sites in Medford School District 549C.

I hope to bring the knowledge I learn back to my “home” district to more effectively connect Ashland students with the information they need to be engaged and informed citizens of our 21st-century society.

For the future, I look forward to earning a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. This is only the beginning!