Practicum (LSIS 5620)


Distance learning students: Please consult your advisor regarding the Practicum.

Completing a field experience satisfactorily is a degree requirement for students concentrating in school libraries, and is highly recommended for students concentrating in special libraries. A Practicum is required for certification to work in school media centers. Other students may elect to take LSIS 5620 - Practicum if they wish to have this experience.

Any Practicum is arranged through the instructor who teaches the administration course in the student's area of concentration. For example, a Practicum in a special library would be arranged through Dr. Ballard and a Practicum in school media center would be arranged through Dr. Underwood. A Practicum will need to be arranged well in advance of the semester in which it is taken, under ordinary circumstances. It is the student's responsibility to initiate the process by contacting the faculty member who will advise the Practicum.

The student and the Practicum advisor will consult on the potential locations for the Practicum and the broad outline of what the Practicum will include. They will also develop a statement on the specific competencies and segments of knowledge that the student hopes to acquire. This statement will be communicated to the supervisor at the library or media center at which the Practicum will occur.

Experiences are designed and closely supervised to give each student the opportunity to demonstrate competence in working in a library/information system. This experience provides opportunities for the student to interpret principles and theory, apply and test principles and theory, and develop awareness and competence.

A Practicum can emphasize a survey of activities within a system or a type of activity within a system. In either case a broad orientation of the entire system must be included. For a type of activity, the purpose of the orientation is to enable the student to grasp the importance of the activity in relation to the systems overall mission and to know how the activity specifically connects with the rest of the system.

The student should spend 120 hours supervised by a professional with a master's degree in library/information sciences.

All students intending to concentrate in school media work need to obtain a copy of the document entitled Practicum for Library Speicalizations from the Office of the Dean, and should keep themselves abreast of all appropriate prerequisites, requirements and deadlines, as well as all necessary documentation.

Students who choose to have the Practicum experience outside of the Durham area must pay the current rate for the travel expenses of the supervising faculty advisor. These financial arrangements are to be made in advance.

Other details on the Practicum can be found in the "Guidelines for Practicums" printed below.


Guidelines for Practicums(LSIS 5620)

General Purpose:
Experiences are designed and closely supervised to give each student the opportunity to demonstrate competence in working in a type of library or in participating in a type of library activity.

This experience provides opportunities for the student to (1) interpret principles and theory, (2) apply and test principles and theory, and (3) develop awareness and competence.


Guidelines:

A Practicum can emphasize (1) a survey of activities within a type of library or (2) a type of activity within a library. In either case, a broad orientation of the entire system must be included.

For a type of library activity, the purpose of the orientation shall be to enable the student to (1) grasp the importance of the activity in relation to the overall mission of the library and (2) to know how the activity specifically connects with library activities other than those visible in the workplace.

The student should spend 120 hours at the library supervised by a professional librarian with a master's degree in library science.


Practicum Procedure:

  1. Student initiates request.
  2. Instructor and student identify locations.
  3. Student and instructor agree on broad outline of what Practicum should ideally include.
  4. Dean makes initial contact with the director of the library system.
  5. Instructor and student should have a plan - a brief statement should go to the supervisor
    and others to be involved.
  6. Each time block should lead to the development of a specific competence or segment of
    knowledge that should be demonstrated by the student.
  7. Evaluation procedures should be understood by all concerned, an obligation that falls on the
    instructor.
  8. Instructor grades student and sends copies of staff evaluations to student.
  9. Dean sends letter of thanks to staff.


Outline of What the Practicum Ideally Should Include:

  1. A thorough knowledge of the operation of the unit performing the activity.
  2. An understanding of how the activity relates to the department, division and system.
  3. An introduction to the units related to the activity.
  4. A reasonable degree of competency in performing the tasks included in the activity.


Student's Responsibilities:

  1. Provide an autobiographical sketch for initial meeting.
  2. Secure background information on the system.
  3. Observe as many activities as possible.
  4. Participate in as many activities as possible.
  5. Identify personal strengths and weaknesses.
  6. Critique performance with cooperating professional regularly.
  7. Develop a plan to strengthen weaknesses.
  8. Establish rapport with staff.
  9. Keep log of experiences.
  10. Submit diary and other records to the professor for review.
  11. Evaluate experiences with supervisor and with professor.
  12. The student should spend 120 hours supervised by a professional and with an appropriate master's degree.


Supervisor's Responsibilities:

  1. Orientation to activity.
  2. Interpretation of objectives, relationships, etc.
  3. Instruction in operation of the unit.
  4. Observation of the student.
  5. Cooperation with the student and teacher to provide appropriate learning experience.
  6. Evaluation of the student and of the School's Practicum program.


Professor's Responsibilities:

  1. Assist student in identifying Practicum goals, locating a site, and developing a plan.
  2. Brief Dean and request authorization to proceed with plans.
  3. Confer with supervisor and refine plans.
  4. Introduce supervisor and student to initiate Practicum.
  5. Evaluate student.
  6. Summarize evaluations of supervisor and student.
  7. Assign a grade for student's work and send copies of staff evaluation to student.
  8. Notify Dean at end of Practicum.


Evaluation:

  1. Systematic observation and completion of evaluation instrument by cooperating professional.
  2. Observation and report by supervising professor.
  3. Maintenance of a daily log and completion of evaluation instrument by student.