Virtual Internship Experiences of Library and Information Science Students During the Pandemic

Abstract

This study aimed to discover the notable experiences of Library and Information Science students in a virtual internship program. It employed qualitative descriptive research design by thematically analyzing the monthly internship journal of the interns. Using Colaizzi’s method to identify themes from their experiences, the study revealed that interns expected to gain knowledge and skills on operations, services, and new information communication technologies in libraries. Orientation was found helpful in identifying the things interns needed to prepare. The interns faced issues from procrastination and technical difficulties, which they coped with employing avoidance strategies. Overall, the internship was viewed as an opportunity to learn and navigate the online digital system of the library despite the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. They realized their capacity and reflected on which competencies need improvement. In conclusion, students still learned the necessary knowledge and skills of a librarian; experienced the challenges faced in an actual library and were provided with various opportunities and realizations regarding the practice of librarianship. This study proposed a three-stage framework that outlines the involvement of the supervising instructors, librarians, and interns in the internship program from the preparation to the process and post-assessment.