How has this experience (the internship) helped you think about your path after high school? What steps do you want to take as you start your journey towards your future career? Consider what you have observed and learned about your mentor or other employees at your site, your academic and personal experiences in high school and your 11th grade internship experience.
This internship really shaped my perspective on what I want to do after high school. I already knew I wanted to work either within a government sector or an international organization that is committed to community service and helping others. This internship, which gave me first-hand experience of community service, cemented my ideas. The library, which technically works within the city of Oceanside, has showed me what a space like the library has means to the community. It allows the community to come together in numerous different ways, with the library always making sure the experience stays as its number one priority. My first steps are to study and get a degree in International Relations and study abroad multiple times to gather real and meaningful experiences. Then I want to apply what I've learned through that and help create meaningful change. What I saw from my mentors at the library was how rewarding it is to serve the community and what it means to be selfless. These are qualities that have helped communities grow and thrive even in the most dire of circumstances, which it was I want to achieve in my lifetime.
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The photos above showcase some of the projects I worked on, including book shifting, our 2020 display theme, and our 2020 book pyramid book lists. Cora and I didn't necessarily have one project we were focusing on and instead had multiple. It was important that we were always working on something, which helped us get through these projects and move on to the next. The importance of the project was behind its impact on the overall library. The librarians would always come up to us and say how this tedious task or project really helps with the big picture, and the results will come to show through the public's reaction. We were able to see kids laughing and overjoyed with the sensory story times and crafts we hosted. We also saw the parents astounding, surprised as they learned about what the library has to offer. The process we wet through each was different since we were focusing on different aspects of the library, but the overall method was the same. We were given a project to plan ahead on time, which we spent thinking about while doing other work. Once we had an idea, we drafted plans of what was going to happen and stay in communication with our mentors. We asked any questions if we were stuck or confused and clarified if this could be turned into the final product. Once confirmed, we proceeded to gather the materials, test it out, and create the final product. We did this for each one of our many projects. POL Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1B-0lr4yXRnSufn102M3xYhWARE8Wd_-BVJrSAbYsoNw/edit#slide=id.g6e45ea2df9_0_0 Internship Call Summaries:
Date: 1/26/20 Time: 9:00pm Form of Meeting: Video Call Mariah Perez: Mariah is interning at Paloma Elementary School in San Marcos, California. Paloma Elementary School is part of the San Marcos Unified School District and is one of the many elementary schools that provides a free public education. Mariah is working in one of the classrooms where she helps run the classroom alongside the teacher. She is learning about the different types of learning styles in the classroom and is helping create work based around those learning styles. She is also working one-on-one with the kids to understand her students better. The two aspects of teaching that stuck out to Mariah was how a teacher's job is 24/7, as you're thinking about future projects with the work extending far beyond the walls of the classroom, and how your influence effects the students directly and greatly. Maxin Marinez: Max has been working at UCI's Beams lab, where he's been working with lasers and the technology behind them. The beams lab is aiming to improve laser technology and apply it to everyday use. Max is working on an insulin sensor which can be used to monitor insulin levels. He's working with Pegdma material which creates hydrogel once polymerized. Once attached to the PTFE fiber sheets, they will become absorbed. It can also detect the dye put into the hydrogel. It should also work as a sensor to detect the proteins within. The two things Max is surprised about is how many materials the beam can sensor and what this technology will be able to do for people across the world that have a lack of access to insulin sensors. How did you make a meaningful contribution to your workplace?
We contributed quite a bit to the library's overall process. All of the projects Cora and I did helped keep the library running smoothly. We were able to pick up projects that needed to be completed as early as possible and plan ahead for future projects and programs that needed to be started early. The librarians have a lot of responsibilities to balance at the same time, so always making sure we were doing something that needed to be done and staying in communication with our mentors was important. How was your work significant or meaningful to the world beyond school and your specific internship site? The work we did was extremely significant and meaningful to the community the library hosts. On a daily basis, there's always story times, snack times, and crafts for the kids to take part in. We were able to help with many of them and see the positive effects of our work. We successfully completed multiple story times, snack times, and crafts where kids were laughing and smiling. See the effect you can have on a child's life through this work is one of the most rewarding aspects. What new appreciations did you develop while working as an intern? Why? I definitely have developed a massive appreciation for the work librarians do and the ways in which the library serves the community. The Oceanside Public Library is more than just a library, it's. community center for everyone to come in and just enjoy themselves. It also acts as a great resource for many people that don't have access to the internet, computers, printers, books, and food. The importance of a library has given us the appreciation of the effects of it. What qualities or characteristics did you see in the people around you that you want to develop in yourself? Why? The qualities I observed in my co-workers that I want to develop in myself is my commitment and appreciation to the work I do for the community. They have solidified my wanting to go into a major and career where I am continuously serving the communities I admire and love. The librarian's belief in humanity has taught the importance and reward of being selfless and doing good work to benefit others. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces and the happiness of the parents made the effort we put into the work so much more worth it. Internship Call Summaries:
Date: 1/19/20 Time: 8:30pm Form of Meeting: Discord Kaycee Stiemke: Kaycee is interning at Cypress College which is located in Orange County. Cypress College is providing a quality education to everyone and provides many opportunities to aspiring students. Many of the classes are free for this reason. Kaycee is working at the school's Math Co-Lab to Crete different educational programs. She's working with spreadsheets and websites to make sure the information is accessible and easy to use for everyone. Two things about her internship that struck out to Kaycee were how everyone in this environment was constantly learning, which created a great place to keep working, and she loves reading the inspirational messages posted throughout campus. Michael Quinn: Michael is interning at the board game company, USAopoly. They create board games and work to combine popular titles into board games. Michael is working with the developers and designers to create questionnaires that find technical artistic problems with the board games. This information is then implemented by the designers into the games. The more specific the data, the more helpful. Michael hopes to learn more about and participate in game testing. The two things about internship that struck Michael were how interactive his co-workers were with each other, and how the environment is pet-free.
My strengths are being able to communicate with the people around me very well, making sure I'm making the best use of my time, and always making sure I ask questions when I'm confused and advocate for myself. All of these skills have been extremely helpful and have allowed me to create the best work I possibly can.
I enjoy the atmosphere at my work the most. Everyone there is very nice and supportive, making sure that the library is always running smoothly. Each person always has a job and is always keeping up with tasks, some that even may be tedious. One of the most important aspects of this work that my coworkers continuously remind me of is the big picture, which benefits the community in so many ways.
Throughout both internship experiences, I've learned that I would prefer to be in an environment that changes day-to-day, and where the energy changes from quiet to hectic. That's why I really enjoy the internship where I'm at right now. I'm able to be in multiple different environments with different energy levels and interact with a variety of different people.
I want to continue understanding different aspects of the work that I do and have more faith in my abilities so I can improvise and depend on my own abilities more. I want to find the balance between asking questions and asking too many questions.
This internship is almost the same amount of work, but just in a different way. I'm still doing mostly community outreach and work surrounding programs. but since I'm in the kids/teens section of the library, I'm mainly focused on a different age group. The internship I'm at now is a lot more centralized too in terms of location, since my last internship covered the entire county.
The experiences I've had thus far during this internship have once again solidified my ideal career to be within outreach and community service. I really believe in humanity and seeing the lengths/work people do to support others inspires me. This internship has taught me the importance of having a space where the community can come together and thrive while expanding the impact of reading to a larger and larger audience. Internship Project Description
My internship project consists of multiple mini-projects that I'll complete throughout the course of internship. These include shifting books in different areas of the library, helping create web pages for the Autism Friendly Lending Library, and hopefully creating some sort of event that attracts the public to check out books while getting people to register to vote. To exceed my mentor's expectations, I'm going to have to understand my way around the library and gain previous knowledge about modern politics and how to create engaging web pages. Once I know more about this, I'll be able to create the products and do more than my mentor expected. I'll definitely need support from my mentor and the other librarians at the library, but also from the internet. I'll need as much support as possible to make sure my projects are as successful and impactful as possible. The importance behind each of these projects shows all of the hard work and large scale impact that is found within a librarian's duties. Interview
Questions about your mentor
What are your main duties and responsibilities? Oversee the Teen Services Department, this means ordering books, planning and running programs, doing outreach at schools, coordinating dozens of high school volunteers Working the public service desks in the Library, which includes talking to customers to find books, do research, and advertise our resources. Participate on community committees· · Why did you choose to work here? I love the community aspect of working at a public Library. I get to really connect with people. I love working as a Teen Librarian because I get to have so much FUN while working. There is also something so special about a place where all types of people are welcome and can hang out all day without spending any money! · How did you end up doing the job that you do? Well, I actually got my Bachelor’s degree in Finance, and when I was job-hunting after graduation, I realized my heart just wasn’t in it. I was working at a Public Library part time during college and loved it so much that I decided I wanted to grow my career in that environment. I went on to get a Master’s in Library and Information Science and became a “real” librarian. I started out working in the Adult Services Department and took a chance in Teen Services on a whim. Best decision I ever made! I love working with middle and high schoolers and have so much fun every day in my job!· · What skills and training are necessary for your position? Lots of customer service skills! You really have to be someone who loves talking to people and helping them. Computer skills and research skills are a must and understanding data analysis is helpful. You basically need a desire to learn new things constantly. I am consistently trying to things and figuring out things I’ve never done before, like learning how to using a sewing machine for a program! There are a lot of group projects so the ability to work well on a team is also necessary. · How did you acquire these skills? Through school? On the job? Both! I worked in public libraries since I was 15 years old, so A LOT of what I know I learned over time in my jobs. I’ve worked in almost every library department which really helps me understand the day to day workings. However, my Master’s degree was helpful in learning the fundamentals of librarianship, like advanced research skills and cataloging books. Learning new skills never ends though, we participate in professional development opportunities several times a year to improve our skills and learn new ways to offer services to our customers. We do this by attending workshops, taking online classes, and meeting with other librarians around the county and state.· · What do you enjoy most about your job? Getting to know people in our community. Making a difference in people’s lives, especially teens. · Questions about the organization What should I know about this organization as I start working here? The Library’s Mission is to engage, inform, connect, and inspire. Everything we do at the Library is to support this mission. · What is a typical work day like? Different every day! All staff takes turn working the various customer service desks in the Library and answering customer questions. When not working at a public desk, staff is busy doing collection development (researching and ordering books, analyzing stats of books, discarding books), planning programs (including buying/making supplies, creating publicity, and running the program), attending meetings with outside organizations, visiting schools or events around the community, working with volunteers, and various other day to day tasks. · · How is this organization structured? The Library is under the management of the City of Oceanside. The head of the Library is the Library Director, and they along with two Deputy Library Directors, over all the workings of the Library and the staff. Each department in the Library also has a manager, a Principal Librarian, who oversees day to day operations of their department.· · What is the purpose of this organization? Check out this website for our vision and strategic plan. It will help you get an idea for this question. https://www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/gov/lib/about/default.asp · Questions about this career How important is getting along with other people in your career? The #1 most important thing!!! Most skills can be taught later (like computer skills, research skills, data analysis), but having a friendly personality and the ability to get along with all types of people is something that needs to be there from the beginning! Not only do we work closely with other staff all day long, but we work closely with the public. We often have customers with special needs or disabilities or mental health issues that we need to be able to overcome in order to help them.· · What other personality traits, skills, or knowledge are important here? Hard worker, team player, creativity, desire to help, willingness to try new things, knowledge of how books are organized and cataloged, attention to detail, patience – just to name a few! Is there anything else you’d like to add or share about your current job or career path? Librarianship is quickly becoming more of a technology-focused occupation, where things like coding, data analysis, and web design are more important than ever. We do so much more than house books. Libraries are now community focused meeting spaces for healthy meals, social interaction, unique events, and a myriad of social services. Also, it’s super fun! Reflection Overall, my internship experience so far has been really fun and full of laughter. Through all of that, I've been able to learn about the duties of librarians and the impact they have on the communities around them. The questions I have about the internship really just surround the work that librarians have to do beyond putting books on the shelves. Luckily, these are all being answered each day I'm there. The skills I've mastered at school, which include communication, collaboration, and working with others has helped me numerous times during this internship already. I was able to help run a science fair in the kids section, which allowed me to talk and help them learn some science topics. I felt like I was able to be useful and consistently make an impact on the kids through the interactions. The new skills I'm developing for this internship specially are patience and determination. Our first project required Cora and I to shift the entire teen fiction section, which took 3 days. In the thick of it, we saw shelves and shelves of books still and thought we were never gonna finish. However, the hard work we put into it allowed us to finish it in a timely manner. I've also learned about the library's impact on the community through the variety of programs they host and the people I've met on different days. I've been able to hear how the library has impacted them. Compared to last year, this internship has many of the same elements of community outreach and engagement, but is more instant with results. Everything is mostly done within a short amount of time, which gives me hope on the amount of experience I'll be able to gather. Overall, I'm looking forward to the coming weeks very much! Oceanside Public Library Internship
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