Library Worklife

Recruitment

Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Intern/Trainee Program

"A decade ago, when I drove from library to library making the daily delivery run, I never dreamed I would one day aspire to be boss of one of those libraries"—Jeffrey Smith, current Librarian Trainee

That dream got off the ground in 1999, when Miami-Dade Public Library System initiated its Intern/Trainee recruitment program. After promoting to Library Security Guard, Mr. Smith began working on his undergraduate degree. Now in 2004, he is completing his MLS while working as a Trainee at one of our regional libraries. The opportunity to learn about library service from the inside out was what inspired him to make it his career.

Who does it serve?

When the Miami-Dade Public Library System began mining the home turf for future professionals, there were two goals in mind. The first was to identify and develop a crop of future leaders. These potential leaders could work side by side with, and learn from, the present-day veterans before those folks clicked the retirement button. The second goal was to create a career path for our paraprofessionals. After all, these were people who already knew and appreciated our richly diverse cultural communities. These two goals dovetailed with the creation of the Intern/Trainee Recruitment program.

How does it work?

In order to establish official new civil service classifications, library administrators worked with the county’s Employee Relations Department and union representatives to establish job specifications for two levels, intern and trainee. The result was a formalized path that culminates in Librarian status. Anyone who has been formally accepted into an ALA-accredited MLS program as a degree-seeking student qualifies to hold a full-time position as Librarian Intern. This encourages paraprofessional staffers to continue and complete their undergraduate degrees and provides them with a logical and lucrative follow-up step. As an Intern, the employee works side by side with fully degreed librarians, as well as other students, as they become adept at the duties and responsibilities at the professional level. They are mentored, immersed, and monitored so that meaningful work experiences are matched with coursework. Independent study internships are customized to develop skill and knowledge that can be put to immediate use on the job. After 18 credits toward the MLS have been earned, the salary increases and the employee’s status is changed to Librarian Trainee. Finally, when the degree is earned, Librarian 1 probation begins. Again, a salary increase accompanies the status change. Students are given a maximum of five years to complete the program, allowing them to work full time while taking courses either online or in a classroom setting. If they need a break for any reason, they can sit out a semester, no questions asked. Interestingly, the vast majority attains the degree in well under three years. Interim performance evaluations document work progress every six months, and grades are monitored so we know the employee is on track.

How do we support it?

Aside from classroom and on-the-job skill building, the students in our Intern/Trainee program get other support in a variety of ways. The first consideration for most students is financial. Those participating in this program earn salary levels that are higher than those they earned as paraprofessionals. Miami-Dade County employees also are eligible for the county’s tuition reimbursement program, whereby fifty percent of course tuition can be recovered. In addition, the library sponsors a Guilford Scholarship; private donations are solicited in memory of a former Assistant Director. This provides annual stipends that can be used for childcare, transportation, purchase of a home computer, or other non-tuition expenses. We not only alert students to other outside opportunities, we encourage them and assist them in applying for awards such as the Spectrum Scholarship, the Institute of Museum and Library Services Scholarship sponsored by the Urban Libraries Council, or the ELSUN Scholarship sponsored by the University of South Florida.

Beyond the financial consideration lies the psychological motivation that comes from a Library Administration that is dedicated to encouraging education of all types. The accomplishment of any educational milestone among staffers is acknowledged and congratulated in the Library Announcements, a weekly online publication. Once each year there is a Recognition Dinner, so families and co-workers can celebrate these achievements together. MLS students attend quarterly network meetings, an opportunity to talk to others in pursuit of the same goals. Stipends are offered for ALA and PLA conferences to promote professional participation. A mentorship program, various listservs, and an immersion checklist are all part of the smorgasbord of support.

Does it work?

Utilizing an Intern/Trainee program as a recruitment tool has been an unqualified success for Miami-Dade Public Library System. It provides a path for ambitious paraprofessionals. It allows us to target and recruit college graduates. It makes us attractive to people considering a career shift from other professions such as teaching. In the past five years, more than 50 participants have been logged in our program. Of those, only seven people did not stay with the program. Most who left did so because they moved, one left to attend law school, and two were not successful in their job performance. Seven who went through the program have rapidly risen through the ranks to become branch managers. A host of others are upwardly mobile. They are multi-lingual and multi-cultured. They thrive in the local milieu; they have ties to the community that strengthen their commitment to public service. They WILL lead us tomorrow.

Elise Levy Kennedy is Branch Administrator at the Miami-Dade Public Library System.