During the 2023 Fall semester, Mia Eisenbacher ’24 completed an internship at the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library. Her faculty sponsor, Michelle Twait, sat down to talk with her about the experience.
Could you say a few words about your internship at the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library? What were your goals for the experience? What did your daily routine look like?
My internship within the Folke Bernadotte Library has been both exciting and eye-opening. Librarianship is not a career that I ever pictured myself in, but I am glad that I did this internship because I now know that a library setting is where I want to be. My goals coming into this internship were to gather an understanding of the library and dive deeper into the specific careers within the library, which I was able to do and more!
My daily routine was similar but different. Each day I would have similar tasks such as being at the reference desk, reading articles, doing informational interviews, and working on projects. Even though I knew that I would be doing these tasks, I didn’t know what specifically I would work on or what questions I would receive until I was there. Each research question is going to be a little bit different and it’s exciting that you get to learn alongside the student about so many different topics. I have deeply enjoyed interning within the library, but also getting to know the people who work there and how much they contribute to the Gustavus community.
How did this internship shape or change your view of the library and librarianship?
This internship helped shape my love and appreciation for libraries and the people who work within them. Coming into this experience, I didn’t know a lot of what went on behind the scenes and I had no clue how much work the librarians do on a daily basis. I now have so much appreciation for the library, but also for the people who work within it. I also realized that the Gustavus Library offers so many resources and it’s a place for everyone to come to, no matter the person, which is very special.
If you could tell other students one thing that they might not know about the library or librarianship more broadly, what would it be?
This career has so many aspects to it that many people don’t know about. One of the things I loved about this internship was the variety of tasks and projects that there were. I was able to use many of my skills such as creativity, communication, collaboration, organization, and instruction. Not every day is going to look the same and I love that you get to partake in various tasks. Another thing that I would tell students is to never be afraid to come into the library to get help with homework or projects. Throughout this internship, I have found that librarians are some of the most helpful people that I have encountered, especially the librarians and library staff at Gustavus. They are willing to help you with whatever you need and they teach you throughout the process.