The internship is a six week program with a total of 12 hours, or two hours a week.
WEST SPRINGFIELD - The West Springfield Public Library will be looking for high school applicants in October to participate in the Ruth M. Peck internship program.
The internships are offered to West Springfield youth in grades 10 through 12 (or the home-schooled equivalent) and looks to impart advocacy, achievement and advancement through the science of information.
The goals of the internship are to impart the understanding of how institutions, such as libraries, have unique needs and require lobbying for support, to build life and work skills through required attendance and the completion of an independent project, and to teach students to use library resources in developing a plan to pursue and fund education past high school.
One recent internship participant, Kelsey Tatro, found the internship to be both interesting and enlightening about how libraries actually provide the best services to their communities:
“To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect going into the library internship. I wasn’t sure what kind of work they would have me doing, what skills I would be learning, or who I would be learning them with,” Tatro said.
“The internship is a six week program with a total of 12 hours, or two hours a week. This made it easy to attend every week and set up a schedule to fit around schooling and homework,” she said.
The goal of the internship is to advocate for libraries, by educating students about the many facets of a working library, how it fits into the larger community, and about the larger library science field, but the West Side library also embraces the personal interests of interns, according to Tatro.
“Each week I spent time in the different departments of the library, learning about the different employees’ jobs and goals,” Tatro said. “I learned so much from this program about the inner-workings of a library and even got to try a few things myself! We also talked a lot while I was there about how my future interest in being an art therapist could be aided by using the library as a resource.”
Tatro said the internship helped her discover how the library can provide patrons with information on any topic.
“As an art student, I know that I can come here to learn about great art movements and artists, sign up to host an art exhibit in the building, and even hunt for the best potential college at West Springfield Public Library,” Tatro said. “I greatly suggest any student apply for the internship, whether or not they may be interested in working in a library some day.”
This internship was launched in West Springfield in 2005 under the state-sponsored MassBLAST internship program.
It honors the memory of Peck’s death, who died in 2007 and was a member of the library’s board of trustees.
The board agreed to devote all donations made in Peck’s memory to continuing the internship program, which then lacked state funding. A devoted library advocate, Peck contributed significantly to the library science field, including working for more than 50 years as a librarian.
She is also credited with helping establish a University of Rhode Island satellite program at the University of Massachusetts for students seeking education and credentials in library and information science.
Internship sessions are held twice a school year, depending on staffing levels and demands, generally in the fall and then in the spring.
The coming session will run from mid-October to the beginning of December. Interested applicants in grades 10 through 12 may fill out one of the applications available at the library’s adult services information desk.
All promising applicants will be interviewed by library staff; straight As are not required. Chosen applicants must agree to have a Criminal Offender Records Inquiry (CORI) check performed.