Get Connected

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"471","attributes":{"alt":"Claudette Newhall","class":"media-image","style":"width: 150px; height: 215px; float: left; margin: 5px 10px 5px 0px;","title":"Claudette Newhall","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]On Thursday, September 13, 2012, I was invited to speak on a panel at the first class of the semester to the students in LIS 501 — Internship in Library and Information Science. This course entails an internship of 150 hours of field experience and four class sessions. The students work under professional librarian supervision to gain hands-on experience in the library information environment. Jennifer Andrews and Kris Liberman are the instructors for this class.

I was asked to be on the panel because of my experience in supervising interns from this class and my expertise in networking within the library community. Rachel Moore and I supervised interns at the library from this class during the 2011 Summer and Fall semesters and the 2012 Summer semester. Our interns were Peter Laurence, music cataloger at Harvard, Steven Picazio, now a member of our staff, and Ethan Wattley, who completed his internship here in August.

Megan Allen, Assistant Director at the Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy, and Kelly Alice Robinson, Career Information Services Manager at Boston College, were the other two panelists. Our combined experiences covered every type of library (public, academic, and special) except school (K-12) libraries. As panelists we were asked to describe our career histories and provide information on what we look for in a job applicant and on a resume. Students were encouraged to ask questions. Two recommendations made to the students were to be enthusiastic about their work and to use their networking skills.

While I was at Simmons, I stopped in to see Em Claire Knowles, Associate Dean. Dr. Knowles asked if I would be interested in mentoring a new student beginning in January. I have done this in the past and agreed to be a professional mentor to an incoming student. Mentoring involves being available to answer questions, discuss career paths, and provide friendly, supportive encouragement. Contact is generally by email and phone, and I always invite the student to visit the library.

-Claudette