My Practicum Experience
Maria Lopez, Graduate Student
OVERVIEW
Background and Internship Placement
Hello,
My name is Maria Lopez. I am enrolled in the Master of Library and
Information Science program. My specialization is Youth Services. I am
interested in working with both children and teens in a public library setting
During Spring 2019, I completed my practicum experience at the Main Library
of Lakewood Public Library, in the Children’s and Youth Services Department.
The Children’s and Youth Services Department is located on the first floor of
the Main Library and serves the families and caretakers of younger children,
school-aged children, and young adults. They offer a wide variety of programs
for all ages including storytimes, after school activities, and weekend
activities.
Internship Objectives
When selecting and planning our practicum experience, students were asked to create goals and
objectives we wanted to achieve. The following are my goals and objectives.
1.Goal: Obtain a better understanding of how a different public library system functions.
a.Objective: Observe the general procedures of Lakewood Public Library, with an emphasis on the
procedures pertaining to their Youth Services department.
2.Goal: Learn different techniques and strategies for how to make storytime a fun and engaging
experience across all ages.
a.Objective: Observe storytimes performed by the staff and assist in the storytimes.
b.Objective: Plan & implement a storytime with the guidance of site supervisor.
3.Goal: Learn techniques/strategies for use in planning and implementing programs for youth.
a.Objective: Observe and assist in programming intended for youth.
4.Goal: Obtain a better understanding of how technology is used in a different public library system to
meet the needs of patrons.
a.Objective: Observe how staff uses technology to foster the education of patrons, with an emphasis on
how the staff uses technology to engage the youth population.
b.Objective: Observe how library patrons use technology.
5.Goal: Obtain a better understanding about collection management procedures and how to build a
diverse collection.
a.Objective: Observe how the librarian (or person in charge) selects books and other materials for the
collection.
b.Objective: Assist in materials selection and weeding of the collection.
6.Goal: Obtain a better understanding of how to provide outreach services.
a.Objective: Observe how a librarian functions in an outreach setting.
b.Objective: Assist in outreach events.
iSchool, Kent State University, Kent, OH
MY WORK CONCLUSION
I had a wonderful time completing my practicum experience at Lakewood Public Library. Throughout the whole
Sample Projects process, the staff was very welcoming and supportive of my learning experience. I got to know all the staff very
well and honestly felt like a true member of the team. Everyone was always willing to answer any questions I had,
and Julie was an amazing supervisor! She was always willing to share her knowledge and experience with me, both
in the library field and in life.
I believe that all my objectives were achieved. At Lakewood Public Library, I was given the opportunity to observe
and participate in numerous programs, including storytimes for all ages. I was also able to participate and assist in
many outreach events, as well as observe and assist in library responsibilities pertaining to circulation, reference
services, and customer service. Although I was experienced in working in a public library system beforehand, this
practicum experience allowed me to learn how another library system operates and gain invaluable experience in
children’s librarianship, and youth services in general. While all my experiences were educational, I especially
enjoyed participating in outreach events such as classroom visits because I believe in the importance of fostering
community partnerships and providing access to those who cannot visit a library in person.
The coursework of the MLIS program sufficiently prepared me for my practicum experience. Courses that were
especially helpful were LIS 60629 Library Materials and Services for School Age Children, LIS 60625 Library
Materials and Services for Young Children, and LIS 60626 Library Materials and Services to Teens. The assignments
in these classes helped me develop the fundamental knowledge and skills needed to work with youth of all ages.
For example, in both LIS 60629 and LIS 60625, I had to plan a storytime and create an outline for it. I also had to
One project that I completed during my practicum experience was a social justice themed scavenger hunt. The scavenger record myself performing certain components of the storytime, such as reading an example story. These
hunt was a passive program that was available throughout the months of February and March. I created the scavenger assignments helped me gain practice in storytime planning and delivery before beginning my practicum, which
hunt sheets and decorated the shoe box. The scavenger hunt featured African American leaders in social justice. made me feel a bit more comfortable in this area. Additionally, in LIS 60626 Library Materials and Services to
Teens, we discussed the importance of developing relevant programming for teens and the importance of libraries
providing teen spaces. These were two concepts that I also discussed with staff overseeing teen programming at
Lakewood Public Library.
Although I was able to plan and implement my own storytime during my practicum experience, I feel that I need to
continue honing my skills in this area and developing more confidence. The more I do storytimes, the more
confident I will become because I can get a better sense of what style works best for me. I am grateful for the
opportunity to have presented storytimes at Lakewood Public Library because it helped me get over my initial fear
During my practicum experience, I observed
numerous storytimes for all ages. After both
observing and assisting in storytimes, I planned
of presenting in front of caretakers and their children. However, I would still like to continue developing my
confidence in this area.
and implemented my own storytime. I made my
storytime interactive by asking the audience What I found to be both surprising and interesting about the work environment was that all staff are expected to
questions and allowing time for a response. shelve materials. At my job at Cleveland Public Library, I am used to pages being responsible for shelving the
materials; however, at Lakewood Public Library, there are no pages and staff will shelve the materials. Lakewood
Public Library also uses the Dewey Decimal System to shelve their materials, whereas Cleveland Public Library uses
Library of Congress. While surprising, I enjoyed shelving materials because it gave me practice using the Dewey
Decimal System and also helped me become more familiar with the location of materials in the children’s and
youth services department. I also worked less with technology than what I am used to. While there are computers
located in the children’s and youth services department, they do not have internet access and are preloaded with a
select amount of games. At Cleveland Public Library, I work as a computer aid and am usually assisting patrons
with anything computer related but at Lakewood Public Library, I concentrated less on computer assistance and
more on user specific needs.
Overall, I feel adequately prepared to enter the field. I was able to adapt to working at Lakewood Public Library
fairly quickly due to both my work experience and coursework preparation. I was confident in my skills as
information professional before my practicum experience; however, after completing my practicum I feel very
confident in my abilities to work specifically within youth services. I honestly loved every moment of my practicum
experience. I was able to make connections with other professionals within the field, some of which have over a
decade of experience, and I will forever treasure their lessons and shared knowledge. I learned to trust my
instincts and knowledge and be confident in who I am both as a person and information professional.
During my practicum experience, I participated
in many outreach events. My first outreach
event was a Kindergarten Information Night held
at Grant Elementary School. Another staff
member and I set up a table for the library and
had program guides and other promotional
materials for those interested.
Link to Practicum Website
https://mlopezpracticum.weebly.com/pictures.html