Does your special library have an ambitious special project but no budget to make it happen? Would you be willing to mentor an aspiring library/information science student for a ten or twenty week practicum?
The Philadelphia SLA Chapter is pleased to announce a collaboration with the practicum program of Drexel University’s College of Computing and Informatics. Special librarian professionals are invited to describe their projects in the form of job listings in the Drexel job postings database. Simply designate your project as “special library,” “pre-professional” and “volunteer” in the jobs database. This will allow the students who have your project approved as a practicum to be eligible for the Knower Fellowship stipend of $1,000 upon its successful completion.
Criteria for eligibility:
- Current student in Drexel practicum class
- Host organization is special library
- Otherwise unpaid service
Criteria for Knower selection committee to choose fellowship winner:
- Students involvement in DUSLA
- Practicum instructor order of preference
- Relative merits of host (non-profit that can't afford to pay VS for-profit that was too cheap to pay)
- Student willingness to write a short blog essay for the SLA Philly blog based on their practicum experience
- Weighted against students who have already received or who are likely to receive the Knower conference award support.
The Drexel College of Computing and Informatics practicum entails coursework combined with a ten-week work experience comprised of professionally supervised duties that amount to a minimum of twelve hours per week. Students receive credit equivalent to one course and may choose to extend their practicum for a second ten-week experience based on their interests and direct discussions with practicum hosts.
This new effort of SLA Philadelphia’s Beverly Knower Fund extends its fifteen year history which has focused on helping students interested in special libraries attend the annual SLA conference. Please consider sharing your special project descriptions with the Drexel College of Computing and Informatics students! Check with for the details to include in your job posting and submit them prior to their academic terms that start in September, January, April, June.