Internship Scholarship for Art Librarianship
The Art Libraries Society of North America is now accepting applications for its annual Internship Award.
The ARLIS/NA Internship Award provides financial support for students preparing for a career in art librarianship or visual resources curatorship. The award grants $2,500.00 to the selected recipient to support a period of internship in an art library or visual resources collection.
The deadline for applications is October 15, 2008.
For detailed information about the award and application instructions please see the ARLIS/NA website:
http://www.arlisna.org/about/awards/internship_info.html
ARLIS/NA Internship Award Sub-Committee
Greta Bahnemann
Cathy Billings (chair)
Maureen Burns
Robert Gore
Rina Vecchiola
Posted by kkowatch on August 28, 2008 at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)
ASB Internship: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
More internship opportunities associated with ASB Sites:
National Museum of the American Indian Internships
Complete listings can be found at http://www.nmai.si.edu/collaboration/files/NMAIProgramGuide_ENG_interns.pdf
The Internship Program provides educational opportunities
for students interested in the museum profession and related fields. Interns complete projects using the resources of the National Museum of the American Indian (nmai) and other Smithsonian offices. Internships are an opportunity for students to learn about the museum’s collections, exhibitions, programs, and methodologies and to meet professionals in the museum field.
STRUCTURE
There are four internship sessions held throughout the year. Each session lasts approximately ten weeks and interns will receive hands-on experience through a variety of assignments. Most assignments provide interns with museum practice and program development experience; some may be more research oriented. Interns are expected to work from twenty to forty hours per week. Some interns choose to find a part-time job to help pay for expenses during their internships. Internship application deadlines* and ten-week internship session dates:
October 10
Winter: Starting first full week of January
November 20
Spring: Starting third full week of March
February 6
Summer: Starting first full week of June
July 12
Fall: Starting last full week of September
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AT NMAI
Internships are offered at the following locations:
nmai Cultural Resources Center in Maryland
The National Museum of the American Indian in
Washington, D.C.
nmai George Gustav Heye Center in New York
NMAI Cultural Resources Center
4220 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, MD 20746-2863
Located just outside of Washington, D.C., the Cultural Resources Center houses nmai’s collection of more than 800,000 objects, representing indigenous cultures throughout the Americas. Internship opportunities are available in the Community and Constituent Services, Conservation, Collections, Photo and Paper Archives, Photo Services, Registration, and Technology departments.
National Museum of the American Indian
Fourth Street and Independence Ave., SW
P.O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Opened on the National Mall on September 21, 2004, the National Museum of the American Indian is a major exhibition space for Native art and material culture as well as a center for educational activities, ceremonies, and performances. Internship opportunities are available in the Collections, Cultural Arts, Exhibitions and Public Spaces, External Affairs and Development (which includes development, public affairs, membership, special events, and product licensing), Graphic Design, Information Technology, Public Affairs, and Visitor Services departments.
National Museum of the American Indian
George Gustav Heye Center
One Bowling Green
New York, NY 10004
The George Gustav Heye Center opened in 1994 in the newly renovated Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in lower Manhattan. The Heye Center features temporary exhibitions and a range of public programs. Internship opportunities are available in Cultural Arts, Education, the Film and Video Center, the Resource Center, and External Affairs (which includes development, public affairs, membership, special events, and product licensing) departments.
Posted by kkowatch on March 13, 2008 at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)
ASB Internships: The Paley Center for Media
Another internship opportunity that resulted from SI's ASB program... this one is with The Paley Center for Media in New York City.
If you are interested in this opportunity, apply via the instructions provided, but please also let me know (kkowatch@umich.edu).
The Paley Center for Media
DEPARTMENT: Research Services
Description: The Research Services Department creates and maintains a wide-ranging archive of information on all aspects of television, radio, advertising, and communications. Interns help organize the extensive amount of information received daily and may be assigned to special projects as well.
Interns assist in the processing of this growing information archive by selecting, clipping, and photocopying daily newspapers and periodicals. They also help answer research queries from the Center's patrons and staff, documentary filmmakers, directors and producers, television networks, fact-checkers, and the general public.
Qualifications: A broad interest in television and communications and an interest in research methods. Interns should be very organized, able to work on several projects at once, and have knowledge of microfiche research techniques. A willingness to handle clerical tasks is required.
TO APPLY
All interested applicants should send a completed application, résumé, and two letters of recommendation (either academic or professional) addressed to:
The Paley Center
Internship Program
25 West 52 Street
New York, NY 10019
Additional internship descriptions and the appliction can be found at this link. I've also pasted the additional internship listings in the Extended Entry...
The Paley Center in New York invites qualified students to take part in the ongoing Internship Program, a structured and rewarding program designed to provide unique insight into the worlds of network, cable, and international broadcasting, as well as valuable experience in museum administration. Credit may be available through the student's school. This is not a paid internship.
Interns assist the Paley Center's staff members in nearly every phase of daily work, as well as on special projects geared to the student's skills and interests. Interns are assigned to specific departments for a semester or a summer. The departments include Curatorial, Library Services, Public Relations, Creative Services, and Research Services. At times, the Vice Presidents' Office may need an intern for a special project. It is recommended that applicants have basic clerical and word-processing skills, as well as any other specified knowledge required by the individual departments.
Listed below is detailed information on the nature of the internships within each department, including a description of duties, qualifications, and an application form. A completed application and personal interview (which may be done by phone in some instances) are mandatory for all internship candidates.
TO APPLY
All interested applicants should send a completed application, résumé, and two letters of recommendation (either academic or professional) addressed to:
The Paley Center
Internship Program
25 West 52 Street
New York, NY 10019
Click here to download the application (PDF format).
For additional information, please contact the Internship Office at (212) 621-6615.
Below are brief descriptions of the various departments and the qualifications needed to participate in our Internship Program:
^
DEPARTMENT: Curatorial: Television, Radio, and Advertising
Description: Responsibilities of the curatorial intern may include assisting department staff in completing paperwork for incoming donations, conducting research on programs in the collection, viewing and/or listening to collection programs for content, preparing clip tapes for public programs, and writing descriptions of programs for use in the Center's literature. Interns are also expected to help with basic administrative work. Past interns in the department have tailored their internship to match a specific area of interest within their academic background, professional skills, and career goals. Responsibilities can be designed to meet student needs.
Qualifications: Strong research and writing skills, as well as professional office demeanor required. Candidates with a background in media or museum studies are desirable.
^
DEPARTMENT: Information Technology
Description:
· Answer telephone calls and e-mails from end users requesting technical support for desktop problems
· New PC installations and moves
· Log support calls into tracking system
· Hardware upgrades: memory, hard drive, CD-ROM, PCI cards
· Software installation of Windows 2K/XP, MS Office Suite
· Keep inventory of computer hardware and supplies
Qualifications: Good telephone and writing skills, ability to work independently
Days and Times:
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 p.m.
^
DEPARTMENT: Library Services
Description: Interns summarize television and radio programs, and use the Center's and external reference sources to supplement information about programs listed in the Paley Center's Library Database. They add data about episode titles, series run, running time, and prominent production and cast credits, as well as nuances about program content. Interns also undertake significant research projects which lead to data updates for the Library Database.
Qualifications: Interns must have strong writing and analytical skills. Accurate computer skills are essential.
^
DEPARTMENT: Public Relations
Description: Interns assist the public relations department in all aspects of PR and audience development including organizing mailings and mailing lists, compiling information for press kits, updating press lists, writing press releases, and assisting the publicists in coordinating the media for all screenings, seminars, and special events. Interns assist the department in identifying marketing and audience development opportunities through various local outlets and via the Internet. Interns also interact with other departments throughout the Paley Center, including curatorial, special events, education, registrar, development, and others, in order to help the department achieve its objectives.
Qualifications: Strong verbal and written communication skills, creative thinker, good telephone etiquette, computer skills, and interest in public relations and marketing.
^
DEPARTMENT: Research Services
Description: The Research Services Department creates and maintains a wide-ranging archive of information on all aspects of television, radio, advertising, and communications. Interns help organize the extensive amount of information received daily and may be assigned to special projects as well.
Interns assist in the processing of this growing information archive by selecting, clipping, and photocopying daily newspapers and periodicals. They also help answer research queries from the Center's patrons and staff, documentary filmmakers, directors and producers, television networks, fact-checkers, and the general public.
Qualifications: A broad interest in television and communications and an interest in research methods. Interns should be very organized, able to work on several projects at once, and have knowledge of microfiche research techniques. A willingness to handle clerical tasks is required.
^
DEPARTMENT: Special Projects: Vice Presidents' Office
Description: This internship will occur on a project basis. Projects vary in scope and need and might not always be available as a choice for an intern.
Qualifications: Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work without constant direction, good telephone etiquette, and knowledge of word-processing.
^
DEPARTMENT: Visitor Services
While Visitor Services does not offer an internship, we do offer the possibility of part-time employment and volunteer positions following a mandatory visit to the Paley Center and an interview process.
Description: The responsibility of a Visitor Services Representative is to assist the Paley Center staff in providing information directly to the public concerning both the Center's activities and television and radio in general. Visitor Services Representatives assist in all public areas of the Paley Center, including the Paley Center's screening rooms and theaters, library, and front desk, and they work closely with the Librarian in answering public inquiries concerning radio and television by using the Paley Center's collection and printed reference materials.
Qualifications: Employees must have good communication skills, a professional appearance, and a willingness to approach visitors. Previous customer service experience is preferred.
^
DEPARTMENT: Creative Services: Graphic Design, Web Design
Description: The Creative Services Department is seeking highly motivated interns to help lay out Quark templates such as ads, postcards, and pamphlets, scan photographs, archive files, make comprehensives, and perform general typesetting. We are also looking for individuals to assist with the programming and layouts of web pages: create Flash animations, update web text and images, and render illustrations. Your hard work will be rewarded with recommendation letters and an association with a prestigious institution.
Eligibility: Third- and fourth-year college students whose academic and/or professional experience combines graphic design and web programming are preferred. Communications-related and computer programming students are also eligible. If you expect to earn credit for the internship, you must include a statement from your school to that effect.
Length: February to April; September to December. Eight hours per day and at least two days a week.
Qualifications: Candidates should have working knowledge of hand-code HTML and related web technologies. Intermediate knowledge of Adobe ImageReady/Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, QuarkXPress, Macromedia Flash.
To apply: E-mail your résumé and state in your cover letter the following: the days you are available, the maximum hours to which you can commit, and an area of general interest in your studies to the Design Director. Also, please submit three design JPEGs and/or at least two web URLs via e-mail. For this internship you do not need to fill out the general application. (No phone calls.)
^
DEPARTMENT: Creative Services: Editorial Assistant
Description: The Creative Services Department is seeking an enthusiastic intern to help in many aspects of production for a variety of projects, including website, postcards and flyers, and gallery spaces. Responsibilities include administrative support, copyediting and proofreading, making accurate corrections in computer files, help with photo research, assisting with galleries, and editorial maintenance of our website.
Qualifications: Candidates must be highly organized, have an excellent knowledge of grammar, and be able to pay close attention to details. Must be able to work on many projects simultaneously; knowledge of Quark, Word, and HTML is preferred.
To apply: E-mail your résumé and availability to the Managing Editor. For this internship you do not need to fill out the general application. (No phone calls.)
Posted by kkowatch on March 13, 2008 at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)
Post-ASB Internships... here they come!
I've been following up with the ASB sites to talk with them about internship opportunities. Many sites indicated that they were very interested in having at least one SI student back at their organization this coming summer to help them out with their organization's initiatives and programs. Here's the first of what I hope is many internship updates resulting from ASB. This is a result of our partnership with Cabrini Connections - Tutor/Mentor Connections in Chicago. You can also find this at this link and I'm going to post it on iTrack.
In late February an intern from the School of Information at the University of Michigan spend a week working with Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection. Here's a blog post about that internship.
We're now recruiting interns from different colleges and universities to support our information and collaboration strategies. Below is a description of this process. If you would like to intern with Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection in one or more of the work categories described below, just email tutormentor2@earthlink.net and we can explore ways for you to get involved.
Role of Summer Intern with Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection
Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection (CC, T/MC) is a small organization with a big vision. We live this quote every day in the way we collect and share information intended to help build more and better tutor/mentor programs in low-income inner-city neighborhoods. We lead an innovative strategy that works on three levels:
• we mentor hundreds of organizations in Chicago and around the country that provide tutoring/mentoring services to thousands of inner-city and at-risk youth
• we mentor and coach business, philanthropy, media, and other institutions to help them be more strategically involved with mentoring programs that aim to help youth move from poverty to careers
• we mentor teens and volunteers at a Cabrini-Green area program called Cabrini Connections
While the Cabrini Connections is a single, site based tutor/mentor program serving 70-80 7th to 12th grade teens from the Cabrini Green area of Chicago, the T/MC has been developing a comprehensive marketing/distribution strategy to support the growth of volunteer based programs like CC in all high poverty neighborhoods of Chicago. Through the Internet, we are learning from people from around the world, while sharing ideas that can be duplicated in other cities.
The T/MC has been creating a library of tutor/mentor program information to support this strategy since 1993. It began piloting marketing/pr actions to draw attention to this information and encourage idea sharing and collaboration among tutor/mentor programs in 1994. However, the T/MC did not begin to integrate the Internet into its actions until mid 1997. Since then, the T/MC has developed a variety of innovate, Internet-based strategies to mobilize public involvement and to distribute essential resources into tutor/mentor programs in every poverty neighborhood of Chicago. A search on Google under the key words "tutor mentor" results in T/MC web sites appearing in the first listings.
Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection (CC, T/MC) seeks the support of interns from the School of Information to “quicken the pace of its progress”.
These interns will support project management, knowledge collection and analysis, programming, software and hardware acquisition and will help the T/MC stretch the application of these technologies in its on-going commitment to expand the availability and quality of comprehensive mentoring-to-careers programs in Chicago and in other major cities. T/MC will share its learning and innovation with its corporate and university partners and the non profit community, making them available to tutor/mentor programs, community networks, and education, health and human service networks, throughout the nation.
Depending on the skills and experience level of interns, these are projects that a summer intern might work on:
· On-line Tutor/Mentor Learning Network – Knowledge is the T/MC's greatest asset. We are creating an internet based learning and information sharing system that draws from the best technology of businesses that are already building “knowledge libraries” and creating “just in time” access for any user. Interns will help collect and organize this information, maintaining data already on the http://www.tutormentorconnection.org site, and creating visual tools to help users know what information is available to them, and why it is important to a city, a business or university, or an individual tutor/mentor program.
· Collaboration - The T/MC has used its knowledge of tutor/mentor stakeholders to create an information sharing system that encourages the transfer of good ideas from one program to many programs, while encouraging stakeholders to connect in face-to-face and virtual forums with each other, and with the T/MC's library of "best practice" information. T/MC has built social networking sites and seeks to add state-of-industry collaboration tools to its technology offerings, along with staff to facilitate the interactions of organizations and information. Interns with knowledge of social network analysis, or with collaboration and communications skills would work in this area.
· Geographic Information Services (GIS) – The T/MC has piloted the use of maps and charts to create a visual information system that speeds understanding of complex issues and leads to a more consistent distribution of resources to all places where they are needed. T/MC seeks interns to work with this GIS platform to create a library of maps that can be used by business, universities, volunteers and donors to decide where to get involved, based on the location of a program, or a poverty neighborhood, in relation to a business, church, hospital or university. Interns working with the GIS project will create map view on demand to map current events, such as media stories about inner city violence or poorly performing schools.
· Public Awareness/Volunteer Donor Response – The T/MC has grown from an idea to an organization that recognized throughout the world as a resource for tutoring/mentoring leaders. This is the result of an on-going public awareness strategy that uses the knowledge and maps the T/MC creates to draw visibility, volunteers and dollars to all neighborhoods where tutor/mentor programs are needed. Interns who can create on-line video, flash, and other visual communications of T/MC messages will create media for distribution via Internet channels to increase the number of visitors to the Tutor/Mentor Learning Network and draw an increasing number of volunteers and donors to every program in the Chicago area.
· EVALUATION - T/MC has piloted on-line documentation and journey-mapping tools that show the impact of a virtual network such as the T/MC, as well as the long-term impact of tutoring/mentoring on youth and volunteers who participate in such programs.
At Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection we've piloted this thinking on two levels. In 2000 we began to create an Organizational History and Tracking System (T/MC OHATS) to document actions the T/MC takes to achieve its goals. You can review this at http://www.tutormentorprogramlocator.net/svhats/default.asp . At http://www.pflaws.com you can review a new version of the T/MC OHATS with a METRICS page that summarizes the data being collected. We seek an intern who can work with this data to help create better understanding of the impact the T/MC is having.
A second version of the OHATS, focused on the student and volunteer journey in the Cabrini Connections program, SVHATS, was started in 2003. An intern might work with the current SVHATS to add automated information aggregation and reporting features. The initial SVHATS was developed by an intern during fall 2003. While he was able to build the information input systems, funds were not available to continue fine-tuning the system to encourage youth and volunteer use, nor to add the aggregation and reporting features, or survey features, that would enable staff and evaluators to more easily view the data in report form, thus increasing uses of the information for analysis and process improvement. We feel that in a one-week internship, some of these components could be developed and added to the system. SVHATS was developed as a web interface using Microsoft technologies that allow students and volunteers to document their interaction/experiences and day to day activities.
Interns working on this project should have competence in: Programming Languages: ASP (Backend), JavaScript (Frontend) Databases: Microsoft Access 2000 Editors: FrontPage 2000/Dream Weaver Images: Photoshop, Fireworks Server: IIS Server 6.0, Windows Server 2003 The technologies that it can be extended to include: Programming Languages: ASP.Net (backend), JavaScript(frontend) Databases: SQL Server 2005 Editors: FrontPage 2000/Dream Weaver Images: Photoshop, Fireworks Server: IIS Server 6.0, Windows Server 2003 GIS Technologies: Live maps (Microsoft), Google Maps This system is currently hosted by Brinkster.com
Summary: The technology strategy of CC, T/MC is broad, and constantly being improved by the talent and time of volunteers who work with us. Within this strategy there are a variety of different information-based projects. Thus, potential interns can align their own interests, and skills, with specific parts of this strategy, and thus have a significant impact on the work of Cabrini Connections, Tutor/Mentor Connection, as well as on their own learning.
Posted by kkowatch on March 11, 2008 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)
United Nations Internships
With the launch of the Information Policy specialization, I thought that it might be useful to post information on United Nations internships. Good news about this -- there are TONS of UN internships. I did a search and found a link to the NYC headquarters internship page: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/sds/internsh/index.htm
There are many others that can be found on this website: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/internships.htm Some of the internships on this page include departments such as the following:
Economic and Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Arusha
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), The Hague
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva
International Maritime Organization (IMO), London
International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington
Check it out! And if you are interested in the International Telecommunications Union United Nations internship that two SI students have participated in the past, you can find the application at http://www.itu.int/employment/stages.html
Questions? Contact me!
Posted by kkowatch on October 31, 2007 at 12:22 PM | Comments (0)
Part 2 - internship series (Columbia River Gorge Commission)
This is the second part of my series on my summer internship at the Columbia River Gorge Commission. To recap the last part, I leveraged the CiC, faculty, and a former student to find an internship through a program at Portland State University's Hatfield School of Government. I found myself in the middle of the Cascade Mountain Range at the Columbia River Gorge Commission (CRGC) in White Salmon, Washington.
In my initial discussions with the CRGC director I was oriented to a project the Commission had been trying (and failing) to launch for almost 15 years. After some management and personnel changes (and a budget increase thanks to global warming), the CRGC was prepared to give the project one more shot. The issue was this: what happens when Congress forms a new bi-state land use planning commission, details fuzzy logic in its legislation, and then requires no accountability for 20 years of policy-making? You guessed it, a lot of unproven, undocumented, and uneven policy. So, with the environment obviously changing in the Western US, people began to take notice and started asking this commission what their policies were actually doing to help. You could hear the crickets - the silence was unbearable. Someone needed to begin an assessment program of CRGC policies to ensure they were working the way in which was intended. That's when I was brought in.
The group had a pretty good idea of what they wanted to do, the just weren't sure on how to go about doing it. I wasn't given the full lot of details over the phone, but the work sounded interesting, and it appeared that the project had started a few months before. I was all geared up to start working with the project team (led by a high-profile consultant) and hopefully provide some help to them over the course of the summer. When I arrived, however, I quickly learned that I was the project team… and nobody had touched the project in 3 months. The big "uh oh" went through my mind right away. The lead consultant was in Australia finishing another project and wouldn't make it to Washington for 3 more weeks. The only person on staff who had been working on the project was completely bogged down with other work duties and hadn't been able to focus any time in my direction. Here I thought I was going to work day-to-day under a mentor and learn a handful of useful skills - but instead I found myself swimming in some deep waters, a bit alone.
But, I'm not an SI crusader for nothing. I quickly amassed all the information I could on program evaluation, the policies themselves, the culture of the commission, and the demeanor of the community. I began making plans and started writing up a survey to test the community values. I was able to squeeze some precious time out of my other teammate and pull together a proposal for the next 18 months. People were a-buzz, and then the consultant returned.
I made two mistakes those first few weeks: 1) I assumed people would just "get" SI methods; 2) I thought too hard about starting fresh and not hard enough about using the existing tools and information available. The consultant quickly pointed out to me that unless there was a name attached to the methods of rapid contextual design and that any results would be statistically significant, it wasn't worth the costs. While eventually I was able to shift perspectives, it was an important lesson: present new methods to unsuspecting associates cautiously and in a way that makes sense to them. And compromise. So I had to let go of the survey, but I could keep my working advisory groups and the majority of my work plan.
These lessons were initial setbacks, but with some perseverance, compromise, and humility, I was able to keep the project heading in the right direction and learn a few things along the way.
In Part 3 of this series I'll go over a few skills I learned and what I feel I missed. I'll also talk about how this prepares me for future decisions about work in related fields.
Posted by pkleymee on October 29, 2007 at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
Part 1 - internship series (Columbia River Gorge Commission)
This is Part 1 of my series. If you attended my brief presentation for SI@Work last week you will have seen my slides and my portfolio online. Here they are for reference: Slideshare.net - SI Internships.
I began my first semester at SI trying to uncover the true reasons of why I came back to school and then trying to figure out how those fit into the structure of school and more importantly, the life of an "information professional." While I realize we all at SI have an obligation to help the world come to terms with the meaning of "information professional," I'll spare the masses for now. Plain and simple, I wanted a new direction and I knew that it was going to have something to do with helping the public.
I joined the CiC seminar and student group to gain more exposure to organizations that cared about information services, resources, and access, and were helping communities and society in new ways. These ranged from foundations like Kellogg and Hewlett to nonprofits like NPower and the Acumen Fund to social enterprises like Google.org to businesses like Xigi.net and the Global Business Network. It was exciting to learn how so many different organizations were attacking similar problems together (often in collaboration) but from different angles. I searched all over the internet, scouring links to see what I might find. Coming from Dutch descendants, I was considering work in the Netherlands. As luck had it, Professor Paul Resnick introduced me to a man near Amsterdam that was working on a startup for hosting public podcasting. After a number of conversations and an offer to leave school early to build a proof of concept, I declined and went another direction. The last two months of my second semester meant more to me than the potentially exciting and frustrating work of lifting a startup off the ground. I pressed on.
I ended up finding another opportunity through a fellow classmate who had been through a program in Portland, OR the previous summer. He urged me to apply and I did. I applied to the internship program through Portland State University's Hatfield School of Government.
After being accepted into both their Sustainability Corps and eGov programs, I began my first of several conversations with the program director, George Beard. Over the month of April, George worked through my interests with me, brought numerous internship offers to the table, and eventually sold me on the program. He set me up with a regional governing body between Washington and Oregon called the Columbia River Gorge Commission. After a couple of discussions with their director, Jill Arens, I decided it was a great offer and I should take the opportunity to work and live in such a fantastic setting. My internship turned out to be a mix of three PSU programs: Oregon Performance Intern, Sustainability, and eGov. It sounded perfect for an SI student.
In Part 2 of this series I'll weigh in on perfection in an internship and how that just doesn't happen. Stay tuned-
Posted by pkleymee on October 10, 2007 at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)
internship series (3 parts) - overview
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to write a three-part series on an internship experience I had with a regional governmental organization in the Pacific Northwest of the US. To give you an idea of what to expect from this series, below is a quick overview of each part:
Part 1
I'll describe how I went about choosing the type of internship I wanted. This might be a no-brainer for some, but I began a long, introspective, and contemplative search period in the fall of my first year at SI because I was... confused. I'll cover my thinking through this period, my actual search process, and my end decision on an internship.
Part 2
In this section of the series I'll talk about my first days on the job this summer. I'll discuss some of the obstacles I encountered and how I circumvented them or dealt with them directly. This section will try to remain optimistic, so don't get too discouraged in the beginning.
Part 3
The final part of my series will be an attempt to answer the questions you may have for me: what did I learn; what SI skills applied to the work; what skills was I missing; and how does this inform my future plans at SI and beyond SI? I'll try to stay substantive here and less philosophical. After all, this was about 'practical engagement'.
If you're reading this blog entry, and have some questions of your own that don't appear to be covered, email me. Alternatively, you can comment after an entry and I'll do my best to respond.
Posted by pkleymee on September 18, 2007 at 02:08 PM | Comments (0)
How I found my summer internships...
While I hope many of you have already found your internship(s) for the summer, I wanted to provide some advice based on my internship search. While my search was relatively direct and only involved a few inquiries, I feel that there is one thing that made it easy: networking. As some of you know, I am primarily interested in government documents. While taking SI 579 Government Information in the fall, I met with the instructor during her office hours to discuss my interest in the field. During the meeting, she suggested that I contact Grace York if I was interested in an internship at any time during my studies. So prior to spring break I emailed Grace noting my interest in government documents and pointing out that much of the recent research on government document librarian training highly suggests an internship in a large government documents center. Within a few hours, I had a response that showed interest in my inquiry and an interview was setup. During this interview, Grace noted that the government documents center could only support a 3 credit hour internship. While I had some other possible locations in mind for the additional 3 credit hours, I asked Grace what she would suggest. She noted that a position as a map librarian intern or Numeric and Spatial data librarian intern would be a good match. She also volunteered to make additional contact with a few of her colleagues to scout out the opportunities. I later corresponded with Jennifer Green and had another interview/meeting to plan that part of the internship. At that time, Jennifer also implied carrying over my internship into the fall semester. While I'm not leaving Ann Arbor for the summer, I feel that the internships that I ended up with will be very helpful in securing a position after graduation. So if you still are looking for internships, consider talking to your profs or setting up a meeting with career service, they are bound to have ideas and connections regardless of your field of interest.
Posted by raycw on April 04, 2007 at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)
Are you an early bird too?
Hi everyone--welcome to the new school year!
I've had a lot of questions from first years about getting a jump start on internship searches so I thought I'd share some information for what seem to be common questions.
Right now, most possible internship sites for the summer have just finished with this summer's interns so they probably aren't really thinking about next summer just yet. However, never fear! You can still begin to gather information to help you decide where you want to pursue an internship next year. Right now is a great time to search for information on company websites and to talk to people who have just returned from their internships.
You can see where other SI students just interned by picking up a blue sheet on the fourth floor of West Hall just outside the PEP office. If you see a location that looks interesting to you, email the student or come and ask us in career services for more information. Remember: locations don't really tell you much about what someone did for a summer. Case in point, I, myself, interned at the Detroit Symphony music library this summer. While I did some library work, it wasn't the primary focus of my objectives. Having already worked as a music librarian before, the daily operations were secondary to my main project which was more HCI-focused. I definitely had to know my stuff with special libraries and archives, but ultimately the analysis I did was about usability and electronic catalogues. So, the moral of the story here is to ask people what they did and see how creative different locations get with their interns.
You can get a nice overview of this summer's internship projects with SI@work which is coming up really soon--visit www.si.umich.edu to see the event schedule. More information will be announced the closer we get to those.
Another issue I wanted to tell you all about is to be careful to not get distracted by having stars in your eyes by big and impressive names. While a lot of these big companies offer great internships (Google has a fantastic reputation, for instance), there is also a lot to be said for checking out "smaller" locations that might actually allow you get more experience. The moral of the story here is to diversify your internship searching and, when the time comes, applications. Apply for a few big ones if you're really set on the organization but don't get bent out of shape if it doesn't happen. Large organizations usually get lots of applications but sometimes the gems are found in the smaller organizations. Case in point, I turned down an internship in the motion picture archive at the Library of Congress. "What the heck were you thinking?!?" you ask. Well, my little grasshopper, I approached it like "shopping" (something my current grad school budget doesn't allow much of these days, sad to say). I "interviewed" my interviewers just as much as they interviewed me--maybe even more so in this case. When I repeatedly asked in different ways how I would be able to work on projects learning more difficult activities or helping to develop more complex projects, I found they could not give me a definite "yes." This tipped me off that the internship might be better for an undergrad because they were very honest and admitted that more than 50% of their plan for the position involved monotnous data entry and this didn't appear to be something they were willing to change for me.
By now, you have been introduced to the horror that is known as email spam, here at UM. However, take some time to really scan your subject lines and tuck away information that looks interesting. I created a folder last year called 'internships' and saved all sorts of emails that might come in handy later. Didn't use a whole lot of them, but I did reference quite a few.
So, think creatively! You can even try to create your own internship if you see a way to create a project in a company that does not list an internship program. Do your research this semester, and then before or after the holiday season start sending out introductory communications to see who might be interested.
I'll keep posting more tips for you as the year goes on. In the meantime, enjoy your fall schedule, crazy as it may be (trust me, I sympathize!). And remember to stop by 402WH if you need your resume reviewed, cover letter help, or want to discuss other things related to career services.
-maw :o)
Posted by maryaw on September 21, 2006 at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)
Microsoft: Anna Falkowska
Here is what Anna did to land her internship at Microsoft
I started preparing for my internship search at the beginning of the school year. I went to all the workshops I could (the ones on resume building and networking were especially useful). I practiced my networking skills by identifying alumni who work for companies I was interested in and sending them e-mails asking for information interviews. Most of them responded and were happy to talk to me about their jobs and companies. One person even checked with his boss if they had any internship opportunities for the summer.
I started actively looking for internships during spring break. I first dropped my resume into various resume books on iTrack. This led to interviews with HP, IBM and Pfizer. I then went through the many e-mails Joanna sent out regarding internship positions and identified the ones I wanted to pursue. I also searched iTrack’s internship listings, looking for something promising. I sent out some cover letters and resumes, but heard nothing.
Having gone to the College of Engineering as an undergrad, I knew about its February internship fair. A lot of big and well-known companies usually attend the fair, so I went to try my luck. Most of the companies I spoke with either had no positions fitting my interests (HCI back then) or never contacted me. I did manage to somehow impress the recruiter from Microsoft, because a few days later I got an e-mail asking me to interview with them on campus.
In the middle of March I started getting worried since I interviewed with at least four companies and sent out resumes to many more, yet no one was showing interest in hiring me as an intern. At that point I started asking professors if they would hire me as a research assistant for the summer. Then I got a call from Pfizer. And IBM. And Microsoft. All of a sudden I had three offers, and I chose Microsoft since the type of work (program management) best matched my long term career goals.
Throughout my internship search, I made good use of the career services staff. I would drop by their offices to tell them how I was progressing and to ask if I could be doing anything more to get a good internship. I would also talk to them about which companies would be a good fit for what I was interested in. They even helped me decide which internship offer to accept. Overall, I think SI provided me with a lot of resources and support throughout the whole process and I am pretty happy about how it all turned out.
Posted by choidh on April 20, 2006 at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)
Months of nothing, and then internship offer bonanza
I began my internship process in early January. This was for three reasons. First, I was (and am) specializing in HCI, and was anxious that my lack of programming experience would set me apart from other candidates seeking the same jobs. I felt a strong need to prepare for the process in order to distinguish myself from other candidates through better preparation. Second, I had never experienced a formal interview in my life. I felt that I needed to prepare early in order to polish my non-existent interviewing skills. Lastly, I had never written a resume before. I felt, (once again) that I needed to work at it if I was going to represent myself favorably against the competition.
The results of my preparation were not encouraging, at least initially. I went to every SI-sponsered pizza-party-job-search- powerpoint event offered this winter. I endured two mock interviews. I had several long, concerned discussions with a tailor about the right color of tie to wear to an interview. I met with Tonya at least 5 times in order to get my resume, coverletter, and interviewing skills in order. I went to the drycleaners. I even tried to critique my own body language (an appalling, fruitless task) by interviewing myself in front of the mirror. By March, I had painstakingly crafted coverletters to 10 internships I felt were enticing, including PARC, SAP, Honeywell, IBM, Oracle, and Pfizer. I had written a "strong" resume, honed several times over the months, and had been interviewed several times.
But nobody was interested. No one. By late March I had recieved no offers. Or rejection letters, even. I started to panic. I decided to go to the SI internship/employment fair, and talked to representatives from the top 10 employers there that interested me. I rehearsed my internship fair schpiel, did research on my target companies, and ironed my pants. At the fair, I talked to employers, (far easier this way than in formal interviews) distributed my resume, and asked how long it would be before I was contacted regarding employment.
Again, nobody was intereseted. By mid-April, I still had no offers. Or rejection letters, even.
And then, suddenly, I did have an offer. Early one morning MITRE (a company that had said they would contact me the next day about employment, and never did) called me offering a job out in Boston that is right up my alley and pays spectacularly. The next day I interviewed with Jewelry Television and was approached by their recruiter a week after. This week, I received 3 emails from employers I met at the SI job fair, including Organic and Enlighten, regarding internship opportunities. It seems that the internship process for HCI is famine and then feast, with many job offers arriving very late in the semester, most likely because recruiters don't understand why Michigan's school year ends so early.
I accepted the job with MITRE and have taken considerable relish in the task of writing chilly, polite, terse, apologetic-but-patronizing letters of rejection to employers that just don't meet my internship experience needs.
Posted by cwmatthe on April 20, 2006 at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
Samsung, South Korea: Mario Baumann
I started my internship back in October by getting in contact with recruiters at some of the larger companies I was interested in working for, specifically Microsoft. By end of January, early February, I begin looking in other places, such as iTrack, and I have a list of other companies I wanted to contact. One day I received an email from Joana stating that a new Samsung DFE, at SAIT in YongIn South Krea had been posted. I read over the DFE, and the job description fit my abilities very well, so I went ahead and emailed the contact person my resume and a cover letter. He got back to me within 24 hours and told me to email the recruiter. He CC'd the recruiter, so she already had my cover letter and resume. When I wrote to the recruiter, I wrote an additional cover letter, expanding on how I thought my personal interests and experiences would help me at Samsung. I received an autoreply; she was on vacation. About five days after she was scheduled to get back, I still had not heard from her. Instead of emailing, I had her phone number from the Samsung website, so I called her up. After telling her why I was calling, she told me I missed the application deadline and she would not take my application. I told her about the DFE posting, and she told me to contact the person who had posted it, and if he was interested in me, have him contact her. I had his number too, from the DFE posting. I called him up and he tried to refer me back to the recruiter again. I informed him of my conversation with the recruiter. The first question he asked me is if I have any programming experience. I did, from my SI classes (Java and Complex Websites), but instead of answering the question, I directed him to my portfolio website so he could see my work, not just hear about it. He said he would get back to me in a few days. Within 30 minutes, I received an email from him stating that he had recommended me to the recruiter, and I was one of the 300 potential candidates for the position. He also mentioned I was high on the list due to my effort and enthusiasm. I believe this is because I made the long distance call to Korea, twice. Three weeks later I get an email from the contact person again, asking me if I could guarantee I would be willing to go to Korea, and if I have had any other offers yet. I informed him that Samsung was #1 on my list. He promptly wrote back with my unofficial acceptance letter, and said the recruiter will send me the official one with all the job details soon. He also asked if I was going to CHI, which I am, so we are going to meet there.
Long story short, I had almost given up by the time I was applying to Samsung. I had probably applied to 20 places between October and now, had a number of interviews, but no solid results. I was really excited about Samsung, because I have always wanted to work/study abroad. I decided to call Korea because I wanted to show them how interested I really was in the position, and it worked! Within 3 weeks of applying for the Samsung internship, I now have it. I am still waiting on the details, but I am finally able to just concentrate on school, just in time for finals, papers, and my 622 presentation,
Posted by baumannm on April 14, 2006 at 03:30 PM | Comments (0)
Oregon State Library: Buzzy Nielsen
As a dual degree student with the Ford School of Public Policy, my internship process began early in October. Ford School students are required to complete a summer internship to satisfy the program requirements. Thus, my challenge became to find an internship that blended my dual degree interests in library science and public/nonprofit management.
I began by meeting with Joanna Kroll at SI and Tiffany Wallace at the Ford School. They gave me some valuable advice on how to proceed with my search, including what proved most beneficial for me: use my own contacts.
Needing a combination of libraries and public policy, my first thought was the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress. They accept interns to help provide reference and research help to Congress. I emailed the internship coordinator, checking back with her several times. Unfortunately, CRS was not accepting interns this year due to a restructuring.
CRS got me interested in serving as a reference library intern in a policy environment. I looked into other internships at NPR, CNN, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Environmental Protection Agency libraries. I applied to NPR and CSM. The idea of working at NPR particularly excited me, and I put a lot of time and thought into writing my cover letter to make myself sound interesting. Alas, it was all for naught.
While disappointing, this rejection spurred me in March to take Joanna and Tiffany's advice. As it so happens, I know the Library Development Program Manager at the Oregon State Library. I emailed her to see if they had a place for a motivated library grad student, and they did! Although OSL does not have a formal internship program, they worked with me to design an interesting and useful internship for both of us. This summer, I will be researching Oregon library law since its beginnings in 1901. The result will be a digital archive of current and historical laws and policies affecting Oregon public libraries.
In closing, I must reiterate Joanna and Tiffany's advice: use your own contacts to find internships. Even if your contact's organization doesn't need an intern, they might know somebody who does. Plus, cold-calling may give you an opportunity to shape your future internship and make it very relevant to your goals. You never know what could happen!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me.
Posted by menielse on April 12, 2006 at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
Pfizer Informatics Internship: Amy G
Even though I meant to start looking for an internship in the fall, mid January was when I started looking in earnest. I knew I wanted to stay in Ann Arbor for the summer, but I wasn't confident that would be possible so I didn't look at Ann Arbor positions exclusively. The first position I applied to (through iTrack) was for Pfizer and a I got an interview with their recruiter who was at SI for the day.
My interview went very well, and I think a lot of that was luck. The interviewer had the same undergraduate degree I had (Industrial & Operations Engineering from U of M) and we'd even had some of the same instructors. Having this in common, as well as a previous internship of mine he found very interesting facilitated the kind connection you really want to have during an interview. During the interview he suggested that I consider an internship in the Pfizer Kalamazoo location doing work that related more to my undergrad engineering degree than my current HCI studies; I said I would consider it but reiterated that I would like to stay in Ann Arbor.
I didn't hear anything for a while, and in the meantime I applied for a few other positions, one at U of M and several in California. In early March though the Pfizer recruiter called me, and after a week of playing phone tag I was offered a position (at Pfizer in Ann Arbor) early Friday morning on St. Patrick's Day. (I was actually at the bar, so it was a pretty good day). Even though I was very happy to have an offer, I wanted to wait and see if there was anything else that would come across my plate. However, Pfizer wanted a response within 3 days of them sending the paperwork, so I accepted the position.
Since then I've had a few responses to other applications asking for interviews, which I have turned down. It's a little hard each time because you wonder if maybe you should have made a different decision, but overall I am really happy with how it all turned out. Like I mentioned before, a lot of it was the luck of having a connection with the recruiter.
Posted by agrude on April 08, 2006 at 07:37 PM | Comments (0)
My Internship Process: Tonya McCarley
I started my internship search in Fall 2005. I started early because I knew my circumstances would limit my opportunities. The geographic location I could search for an internship needed to be local to Southeastern Michigan and Northwest Ohio. In November I met with Joanna Kroll to ask for tips and suggestions. My homework from her was to identify a Top 10 list of employers. She was able to give me contact information for most of these employers.
I had all of these great expectations for that list. Unfortunately, I didn’t do much with it. There was the end of classes, project due dates, the holidays. Wow, it was January already! I started my new job with Career Services then. I continued to try to contact a few of the employers on my list. I also scoured the posting to iTrack, attending employer information sessions, and placed my resume in many resume books.
I had one interview with Pfizer (#10 on my list) in late February. At the time, I felt pretty confident about my opportunity there. I didn’t hear anything from Pfizer, so I continued on with my search. I continued my search process: try to make contact with my Top 10, scour iTrack, look on company websites, and attend information sessions. For the SI Employment Information Fair, I identified another Top 10 list. I strategically stopped at those tables to discover internship opportunities. I walked away with 1 really good opportunity with the UM Public Relations and Communications for the Health System department and a few others.
By now, it’s early April. I feel like the UM PR & Comm group is going to call me, but I’m really frustrated. I thought this year’s internship search was going to be easier. Feeling sorry to myself, I complained to Joanna. She asked me if I had heard from Pfizer. I said “no, but other people have.” She asked if I had followed up with them. I said, “no.” “What are you waiting for?” she said. I sent an email that morning to the contact at Pfizer inquiring about my status. He emailed me back within 20 minutes asking for my contact number. Within the hour, he contacted me and made an offer. In addition, I notified the UM PR & Comm Group of my offer and now I have an interview with them.
The moral of the story is that finding an internship is a PROCESS. You can’t just rely on one avenue, but need to formulate a strategy using all of your resources.
Posted by mccato on April 06, 2006 at 03:49 PM | Comments (0)
Canton Public Library: Emily Smith
Emily has shared her experience in obtaining a public library internship.
I'm one of the first semester SI Students that just started this January. I attended a tour of the Canton Public library early in the semester (thanks to our ALA chapter). When it came time to think about internships my goal was to get as much experience as possible this summer to see what type of information science careers I like and what I don't like. I figured I'd love to try a public library and see if that's a direction I want to head in. I applied for the AADL PLA position and also contacted the director of the Canton PL to see if they had any positions available for the summer. The director confirmed they did and asked me to come in to meet the Children's library staff (the area where the internship is based). After a discussion about my goals for the summer and what she was looking for in an intern I was offered the position.
I'm so excited to be able to sample what I think I'm interested in doing when I graduate. I’m hoping my experiences this summer will help me determine which classes to take in the next 3 semesters too. I'm only working 20 hours a week so I have time to take on another internship or two (hopefully in a University library setting to round out my experiences).
The lessons I learned from getting this internship is, like David and Tonya keep telling us, to make a list of where you think you might like to work and then network with those companies/libraries to see what they might have available. The CPL didn't post their internship since they prefer to recruit through networking/students they know, so this is also a good example of using your existing connections at SI to get an internship. One other item I noticed is that most library internships are 20 hours a week or less, so don't stress out about finding a full time job. I think it's a great opportunity for us to try several different experiences (maybe a mixture of paid and unpaid too). I also have a second summer coming up so I'm not worried about setting up my internship as a DFE (and I haven't taken 501 yet either).
If you have any questions, please let me know! (emilyhoo@umich.edu) Good luck everyone! -Emily
Posted by choidh on April 06, 2006 at 02:05 PM | Comments (0)
Proctor and Gamble: Amy Anderson
For those interested in LIS internships, here is how Amy got here internship at Proctor and Gamble.
My internship search started with a little research. I looked for job postings that I found interesting on SI's career board and all the various librarian-friendly sites. I noted skills that might appeal to promising employers. Through the alumni board, I arranged an informational interview with a fellow tech-happy librarian in the corporate world, and I discovered more about my field and the day-to-day of various jobs. Then, I worked on getting some of the right skills - through classes, DFEs and on-campus jobs. Judy gave me some helpful advice on improving my resume during the fall resume rally. I started applying for jobs in February and March. I only applied to a few, but I tailored my resume for each one. During ASB, I found a contact at the LC that eventually yielded an internship offer (unpaid).
The perfect job appeared on SLA's job board just before spring break. It sounded like a great fit, but I didn't hear anything until April (and I didn't even answer the phone, since I was watching my best friend give birth). The next week, the phone interview went great - but, again, I didn't hear anything right away. Right when I was about to give up (just a week later), I got an e-mail. My HR contact was out of town, but my supervisor wanted me to know that they wanted to fly me out for an interview. Since I was the only one flying out, I knew that I had a pretty solid chance of getting the job. I flew out during finals week, and they gave me an offer that afternoon. I accepted immediately and asked if I could use their printer to make a copy of the 503 final (posted that morning) to take on the plane ride home.
Posted by choidh on April 06, 2006 at 02:02 PM | Comments (0)
Mudd Library, Princeton University: Jen Sharp
Here is some helpful advice from Jen Sharp about ARM internships:
Hey everyone,
This summer I will be interning at Princeton University's Mudd Library. The Mudd houses the University Archives and the Public Policy Papers.
A few months ago I made a list of all the internships I was interested in and noted all the deadlines on my calendar. Somehow, though, the date I wrote down for the Mudd internship was actually two weeks beyond the deadline. I discovered this error less than a week before I had to have all the materials in, and was contemplating not applying. I wrote to the Mudd asking a couple of questions and ended up having a good email conversation with the person who would eventually hire me. Turns out he and another person on the hiring committee are both SI grads. They both also worked at the Bentley, as I do. I decided I had to go for it. Luckily my resume was already in good shape. All I really had to do was write the cover letter. Tonya was awesome and read it over for me even though we were on break and she wasn't technically working.
Amazingly, the search was really was that simple. The most difficult part was getting one of my professors to actually send in the recommendation she promised she'd write (it got there two weeks late). Soon after I had a half hour phone interview. A week later I was offered the position.
Finding jobs/internships is all about networking. I'm sure the connections with SI helped me out. Either way, I can't wait to get started!
Jen (jsharp@umich.edu)
Posted by choidh on April 06, 2006 at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)
Internship & Job Strategies
Welcome to the SI Career Services Blog!
To help everyone in their internship and job searches, Career Services is launching this blog to create an online community to share our strategies and success stories. Any SI student is welcome to post their story to this blog. The goal is to be able to provide a resource for everyone this year and for students in the following years. Even if you haven't achieved success yet, please share your story. Finding an internship or a job is a process and we want to share that process with everyone. By sharing strategies, we can learn new ideas, try a new approach, and even be reenergized!
Posted by mccato on March 31, 2006 at 02:35 PM | Comments (3)
