Advocate for yourself and your education by making the staff at your practicum aware of your strengths and enthusiasm for learning, and by asking questions and offering to help out, allowing you to observe and learn new skills.
My practicum, split between two branches of the Jefferson County Public Library System (Colorado), not only gave me the opportunity to apply classroom theories, but the experience was also pivotal in getting my first job as a children’s librarian. I’d like to throw out a few tips on getting the most out of your experience.
Be prepared
You’ll find that the time to complete your practicum will fly, so make the most of it by being prepared. Know what you skills you want to develop and be ready to discuss them with your supervisor on day one. Have some plan B ideas in case your supervisor isn’t able to accommodate your preferences.
Ask questions
Not only does it show that you’re interested, but often you’ll learn the philosophy behind policies, services, and programming. During the second month of my practicum, positions opened up at a nearby public library system. Although I was initially intimidated, I decided to be brave and ask my supervisors to look at my application materials. And, boy, am I glad I did! I was able to get several perspectives on my resume and advice on what libraries are looking for in a candidate. Together we poured over the job descriptions. When my interview was scheduled, my supervisors gave me examples of common interview questions and tips on how to handle the difficult ones. I truly believe it was due to their advice and support that I got the job.
Let staff know about your strengths
Don’t be afraid to share your strengths with staff members. My first career was in theatre, so I was thrilled that one of my practicum sites regularly performed storytime puppet shows. Once I told the other librarians about my theatrical background, they gladly gave me responsibility of choosing and adapting stories.
Volunteer to help
Although I was hesitant to speak up when I started my practicum, the staff members were so supportive that I was soon comfortable sharing ideas. For instance, one of the librarians mentioned she was working on a Lego program, so I brought in one of my personal books on architecture activities for kids. She was impressed and asked me to assist her by creating informational posters about architecture for the event. Earlier this month I went back to the library to assist her in presenting the program to great success. If I hadn’t spoken up, she probably wouldn’t have asked for my help.
Advocate for yourself and your education by knowing your strengths and weaknesses, being prepared, asking questions, and volunteering. Be curious and soak up the knowledge of the other librarians. Take advantage of your practicum by letting the staff know that you are eager to learn and that you can contribute to the library and the profession.
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Our guest blogger today is Amy Musser. Amy recently finished her MLS at Texas Woman’s University and is currently a children’s librarian at the Children’s Library at the Central Library of Denver Public Library. She is always on the look out for creative ways to incorporate the arts into children’s services and programming to extend books beyond the page. Check out Amy’s blog at http://chapterbookexplorer.blogspot.com/
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at alscblog@gmail.com.