The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library is currently offering an internship opportunity at the Main Library in Youth Services.

Library: LeRoy Collins Leon County Main Library
Department: Youth Services—Children
Location: 200 West Park Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32301
Mailing Address: same as physical address
Website: leoncountyfl.gov/library
Compensation: unpaid internship; can earn 3 semester credit hours; work 135 hours
Contact: Mary Douglas, Youth Services Coordinator
(850) 606-2706  DouglasM@leoncountyfl.gov

Job Description / FSU Internship

Background
The LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System enriches the community by inspiring a love of reading, providing a dynamic resource for intellectual, creative and recreational pursuits, and enabling residents to live a life of learning. The library is a department of the Leon County government and serves a population of 287,000 people. It is composed of the LeRoy Collins Main Library, six Branch Libraries, and Outreach Services. The Library is in the midst of a multi-year plan of action, the Essential Libraries Initiative. Through this initiative we are re-envisioning how we deliver service to the community with the goal of keeping the library relevant and community focused.

Located at the LeRoy Collins Main Library, the Youth Services area consists of a committed, experienced staff with stewardship over a large print collection, youth computer area, toddler room, treehouse reading area, and Teen area. The Youth Services staff serves a diverse population of children, teens, and families, providing a variety of programs, reference service, technology assistance, social media outreach, and reader’s advisory.

Tasks
The Intern in this position will gain valuable general Youth Services experience in a public library setting. The Youth Services Intern assists with a variety of duties including planning and presenting programs, creating and mounting displays, collection maintenance, outreach, and participating in staff training. In this position, Interns strengthen their customer service skills and learn about best practices in a medium size public library setting. Interns are welcome to propose their own project ideas.

Specific Tasks:
The Intern’s tasks may include the following:
• Assisting/shadowing on the Youth Services reference desk
• Creating and mounting engaging book displays
• Providing technology assistance to children, teens, and families
• Answering reference questions sent via email and postal mail
• Participating in providing indirect serves such as pulling items on the “send item” list, processing promotional materials, and maintaining statistics
• Assisting with programs
• Participating in webinars and staff training
• Weeding and other collection maintenance activities
• Assisting with special projects in Youth Services
• Assisting with projects in other service areas at the Main Library
• Touring and shadowing at various service areas at the Main Library
• Touring and shadowing at small, medium, and large branch library locations
• Attending staff meetings

Student Intern Hours
The Intern’s hours will be scheduled during the library’s open hours, which are:
Sunday 1:00 – 6:00
Monday through Thursday 10:00 – 9:00
Friday 10:00 – 6:00
Saturday 10:00 – 5:00
Shifts will typically be scheduled during the weekdays 10:00-6:00 with the possibility of occasional weekend hours as needed for programming and other special events.

Skills Needed
Ideally, an intern must have the following skills:
• Time management and organizational skills
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
• Basic customer service skills
• The ability to work independently
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• An interest in working with children and teens

Application Procedure
Contact Mary Douglas, Youth Services Coordinator
Submit a cover letter and resume
If accepted, enroll in VolunteerLEON and attend an orientation session