Perception of LIS Graduates on Library Internship with Special Reference to Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli: A Case Study

Authors

Selvaraj Rathinam Assistant Professor, Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil NaduFollow
Lisa Sheba Rani J Librarian, Women’s Christian College (Autonomous) ChennaiFollow

Date of this Version

Winter 11-1-2021

Comments

NIL

Abstract

Library Internship plays an integral part of the curriculum in most of the LIS schools in India. Internship helps fresh graduates to gain practical exposure of learning the intricacies in the profession and also promotes seeking placement. An internship is an outstanding opportunity to the students to get hands-on training in library housekeeping operations. The present study focuses on the three major objectives viz. usefulness of library internship, constraints against internship and suggests ways to improve library internship. A descriptive research design was adopted and a questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 100 library science students’ comprising of four batches from 2016 to 2020. The study concludes that the majority of interns are highly benefited in terms of acquiring the required skills to suit present-day job markets, gaining confidence to manage the resources and services in a real-time library environment. No monetary benefits and inappropriate placement procedures are the main constraints against library internships. The study suggested that interns should be properly monitored by the supervisors of the parent institutions and ensure the provision of allowances/stipends to meet the financial needs during the internship period.