Notes from a Summer Intern (part 2)

One of many departmental libraries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Notes from a Summer Intern (part 2)

In my last blog post I discussed my process of obtaining an internship and provided some basic information about my internship at the Watson Library. Having now completed my internship and returned to IU for the fall semester I will attempt to briefly summarize my experience and provide some details about the type of work I undertook during my internship.

My work primarily consisted of the following tasks:

-       Books processing

-       Copy cataloging

-       Special projects

-        

On any given day I often engaged in all three types of activities. In the context of Watson, books processing entailed receiving books from the bindery or offsite storage, or alternatively preparing books to be sent to these locations. Over the course of the summer I was responsible for changing the call numbers and labels in one section of the reference collection; this was an on-going project that I would often work on for a few hours each day.

 The Watson library receives a large volume of printed materials from contemporary galleries; from exhibition guides to postcards. Each of these items needs a catalog record in the library system, my task was to search remotely for catalog entries to copy and then import and edit these entries. In addition to gallery ephemera, I also copy cataloged a number of auction catalogs.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a large number of departmental libraries; the Watson library is the central research library. Over the course of the summer I assisted in a number of projects in different departmental libraries. These included: re-classifying, barcoding, re-shelving and inventorying items. One of the highlights of this experience was having the chance to visit numerous library spaces, each with its own unique personality. I was particularly excited to have the opportunity to work with the personal library of Alfred Stieglitz, which was donated to the museum many years ago.

Japanese armour stored in the same location as the Japanese armour library

Going into the internship I had very little experience in technical services. After completing my internship I feel that I have gained a much more comprehensive understanding of overall library operations and a confidence in my ability to undertake technical services projects and tasks. My focus while at SLIS has mainly been in public services, having now worked in technical services I highly recommend that library students interested in public services take the opportunity as students to gain experience in technical services. 

And thus ends my blog posting on this topic. If anyone has a specific question about my experience or wants to know more about the details of my internship feel free to include a question in the comments or email me (erothkat@indiana.edu).

Esther Roth-Katz

M.A. Candidate
Indiana University Department of the History of Art
M.L.S. Candidate
Indiana University School of Library and Information Science