Learn how to create, facilitate, and advertise an internship

The Department of Information and Library Science has a long and proud history of partnering with a wide range of institutions to create internship opportunities for ILS students.

These arrangements are mutually beneficial: while our students gain hands-on experience from skilled professionals like you, your team is able to execute on short- and long-term projects and goals with the help of a dedicated, eager, and educated worker.

How to create an internship

Creating an internship opportunity begins with writing a job description. The description should include a specific list of desired skills and on-the-job responsibilities. It should also include the internship location, contact information for the intern’s supervisor, and the expected work schedule.

You can revise the job description based on the various skills of your intern, or to meet the ever-changing demands of your institution. However, agreed-upon tasks must be written before an ILS intern is placed with your organization.

Hiring your intern

Interview your intern at least a month prior to the start of the internship. We encourage you to provide internships on an ongoing basis, and to bring on a new intern each semester, or, approximately every sixteen weeks.

A salary for your intern is not required but encouraged. A paid intern should be compensated for his or her work at least 25% above the minimum wage level. Interns are not expected to receive benefits. Normally, the intern is paid on a bi-weekly basis. Individuals who agree to supervise an intern do not receive any form of compensation for such service from Indiana University or the Department of Information and Library Science.

Intern responsibilities

Typical areas of responsibility for interns—under the guidance of an on-site supervisor—include, but are not limited to:

• Development and/or management of database
• Classification and organization of materials and data, including indexing and abstracting
• Preservation of materials
• Provision of reference services and bibliographic instruction
• Activity programming for specific groups (reading and storytelling activities for children and young adults; outreach to business groups or retired individuals; information assistance for individuals with disabilities)
• Developing means for a presentation of information, electronically or in print
• Conducting information and communication audits
• Undertaking analysis and design of information systems
• Development or refinement of websites

Supervising your intern

Interns should have a direct supervisor. Supervisors normally hold an advanced degree and have several years of successful experience in their professional positions.

If you are the intern’s supervisor, you should determine the role of the intern and all associated tasks and responsibilities. If problems arise with your intern’s placement please contact Michelle Dunbar-Sims, the ILS internship coordinator, at midunbar@iu.edu.

At the end of the internship, ILS will send out two evaluations for the internship. Please complete these at your earliest convenience. The first evaluation is a performance review that should be conducted with the intern. It should not be returned to the ILS department. The second evaluation is a program review, which you can fill out online.

Advertising your internship

If you would like to advertise an internship opportunity to IU Bloomington students, please send the following information to midunbar@iu.edu.

1. The name of your organization
2. The full name and email address of the internship point person
3. Internship type (full-time or part-time)
4. Internship position title
5. Internship position description (or library description)
6. Job function (common functions for ILS positions: information science, library science, management or administration, project management, etc.)
7. Location
   • City, state, and country
8. Posting close date
9. How to apply (application instructions or a URL for the application or job posting)