Elizabeth Marshall
Western University, London, ON, Canada
emarsha3@uwo.ca
orcid.org/0000-0001-8729-9882

Joe Melanson
Greater Victoria Public Library, Victoria, BC, Canada
jmelanson@gvpl.ca

Alexandra Hawkins
London Public Library, London, ON, Canada
alexandrahawkins@lpl.ca

Jessica Jones
Instruction & Reference Services, Athabasca University Library, AB, Canada
jessicaj@athabascau.ca

Abstract

Full-time paid co-op librarian positions provide MLIS candidates with solid work experiences to draw upon as they start their career path. Three recent co-op librarians were asked about their work experiences – what important skills were learned that transferred to their librarian positions, what did they wish could have been different and what advice would they give future co-op librarians.

Background

Western Libraries is comprised of six libraries and the Archives & Special Collection on the Western University campus in London, Ontario. The C.B. “Bud” Johnston Library is in the Ivey Business School where the library staff work closely with the faculty and staff in the business school. The Johnston Library has regularly hosted a co-op librarian in the winter semester to help accommodate the heavy teaching and instruction that takes place in this semester. Western University is home to the Faculty of Information and Media Studies with an ALA accredited Master of Library and Information Science program. It is fortunate that the Business Library can offer the co-op opportunity to graduate students within the University.

“Described variously as practice work, practical work, field experience, fieldwork, practicum, work experience, internship, work-study, practical placement” (Grogan, 2007), the “co-op position” described here is an optional full-time paid work placement the Master of Library Science program at Western University (FIMS, 2025). The duration of the placement may be four months or eight months, depending on the job posting by the employer.

The job posting describes the position supporting two functional units within the library – User Services and Collections & Content Strategies. For User Services, the successful candidate is responsible for the provision of reference, circulation, and collections within the Johnston Library. Reference includes in-person, via email and chat service. Circulation duties include check-ins, check-outs, placing holds, and updating patron records. The co-op librarian will assist the Business Librarians with library instruction, providing reference consults and collections work including database evaluation and product reviews.

Supporting Collections & Content Strategies (CCS) Team, the co-op librarian will work on collections projects and be a member of the CCS team. Specific projects include resource evaluation including overlap analysis and assisting with usage statistics for resources. Typically, the co-op librarian hosts one or two book clubs or journal article reviews during the term for the CCS team to highlight trends collection development or an area of interest to the team. Recent topics include artificial intelligence in collection development, audio books for academic libraries and transformative agreements in publishing.

Each year that a co-op position has been offered there has been a strong response of applicants and typically four or five students are selected for an interview. The successful candidate is notified of the placement in November and the position starts in early January. The winter term is January to April at most Canadian Universities with final exams taking place the last two weeks of April.

User Services training is comprised of learning the circulation system and how to provide reference across the various channels. Much of the training is on-the-job and “in the moment” reference service. The collections training is spent one-on-one with a Collections Librarian working on a project that will be ongoing throughout the semester. Ideally the projects the co-op librarian engages in are completed within the four months. In some cases, the project work will be started by the co-op librarian and completed by the collections librarian after the co-op term is over.

Three recent co-op librarians were asked to respond to questions about their co-op placement and what skills have been transferable to their current positions as Librarians. These former co-op librarians have been working at their current positions for more than one year and have had some time to reflect on the co-op position at the Johnston Library. The three librarians interviewed were employed in both public and academic libraries: one at a public library, one at a college library and one in an academic library directly after graduation.

Takeaways

The first questions the respondents were asked was “What is the most important skill or experience that you have applied from the co-op experience? And how have you utilized this in other positions?

Several themes emerged as important skills learned through the co-op experience: customer service skills, managing multiple tasks and projects, providing reference and advanced database searching, and teaching users how to use resources to find information.

The nature of the User Services position as the name implies is a front-facing customer service position. Users are welcome to “visit” the library, in-person, via e-mail, telephone, chat and now through online conferencing software. Library staff in these roles need to be comfortable and confident in helping users via all modes of communication. One of the respondents was clear that the co-op position has helped them in their current workplace, “My experience at the Business Library lay the foundation for my customer service skills and I use the lessons taught to me by my co-op and my colleagues at the Business Library every day in my work as a librarian.”

Front-facing library work involves both customer service and reference in an academic library. Users often ask questions while borrowing or returning material. These questions can sometimes be a quick interaction but often it can be a more involved question that requires more time and consulting several sources. The co-op librarians all recognized that they learned an enormous amount by helping users with business reference questions. None of the co-op librarians had prior experience in a business library so there was a steep learning curve to understand which resources are best suited for each question and how to share that information with the user. In addition to the subject specific knowledge gained, respondents flagged core reference and teaching skills as an important takeaway from the co-op experience.

Library instruction was highlighted as a transferable skill for the co-op librarians. Their experiences in a classroom, group setting, and one-on-one instruction were key in preparing for a job interview and helping users in their respective libraries now.

…I often teach users, either one-on-one or in groups, how to use library technology, browse the catalogue, search databases, and perform other library tasks. This skill has also been helpful for outreach activities promoting library resources I have been involved in and running programs. 

Multitasking was marked as an important skillset developed by the respondents. Working with several distinct units and balancing multiple projects with daily responsibilities prepared co-op librarians for the competing responsibilities of a real library workplace. Speaking of their current position, one respondent said, “I have to be able to adapt to new obstacles, fluctuating timelines, and maintain organization while managing multiple ongoing projects at different stages.” The transition from university to a workplace often requires an increased ability to self manage tasks and a co-op experience can facilitate these skills (Hoffmann and Berg, 2014).

… performing searches with the students, helping them to develop search terms and strategies based on their project topics. This knowledge has been very helpful to me in my professional career, as library users frequently come to the desk looking for help with a research project or assistance using library resources.

While all respondents mentioned interacting with patrons as an important skill, collections work also appeared in the responses. One respondent said “collections experience opens a lot of doors. Familiarity with the way collections decisions are made was really useful in acclimatizing to a new position.” Business resources are known to be outliers in terms of collection development; often the resources are more suited to a corporate world and vendors are not set up for IP-authentication and site licences. The first-hand knowledge of knowing how business resources work in the academic environment is enormously helpful for future library positions.

Suggested Improvements

The respondents were also asked “What would you have done differently or wished you could have changed from that term in the Business Library?” The three co-op librarians had varied responses about what they wished they could have changed or done differently. Some of these differences can be contributed to the COVID-19 pandemic as two of the respondents were employed in 2020 and 2021 respectively. As the library closed abruptly mid-way through the 2020 term and was closed for in-person library services in the 2021 Winter term, the in-person component of library work was hampered.

The one thing I wish I could have changed about my co-op term is that it took place virtually. While this was a factor outside of anyone’s control and the team at the Business Library and Western Libraries did an outstanding job of making sure I had the best experience possible, I would have loved to have the opportunity to interact with students in person at the library.

To accommodate students needs during the pandemic, the library quickly shifted to offer consultations via Zoom and Microsoft TEAMS, as did most academic libraries. The students easily adapted to using online help services and these have now become a regular part connecting with students and faculty. Graduate students have been quick to utilize the library’s “book an appointment” system to get help on projects and have shared with the staff that being able to book a time to meet up with library staff on zoom has been timesaving rather than coming into the library in person and possibly having to wait to speak to a staff member.

The co-op librarian attends the weekly meetings with the Collections & Content Strategies team. In these meetings they provide updates about the projects they are working on and ask any questions they have to the team. The co-op librarian has been instrumental in leading an article discussion or book talk on a topic that is relevant to collections. An example of a recent collection development topic hosted by a co-op librarian was audio books in academic libraries as part of the special project reviewing and considering vendor platforms for audio book collections in academia. Continuing to incorporate these forward-thinking initiatives benefits both the CCS Team and the co-op librarian.

A common theme in all responses was the desire to interact with and learn from librarians across the library system. One co-op librarian wished they would have been more vocal in team meetings. They indicated that they are typically a quiet person and often are more reserved and sometimes nervous in group settings and later reflected that team meetings and book talks were an excellent opportunity to speak up more and gain confidence in a professional setting.

Similarly, one respondent suggested they would have been more proactive and suggested directions for projects themselves. They said, “Some students I have since supervised have been very proactive in suggesting projects and I think that is a great approach to the learning opportunity.”

And lastly, one of the respondents interviewed wished they would have had an opportunity to collaborate with the teaching and learning team to do more in-class instruction. The instruction component for the Business Library co-op is limited to 3-4 one-shot sessions for a third-year Marketing class. The course-integrated instruction is an introduction to library resources and results in many follow-up in-person reference interactions in the library to complete a 48-hour assignment. And given the nature of the assignment, it is a terribly busy week for the library with 800 students working on this group project. This feedback will be considered when posting for future co-op librarians to include more library instruction opportunities. 

Advice for Future Co-ops

Finally, the students were asked “What advice would you give a new co-op librarian starting a work term?”

The co-op librarians all agreed that being open to new ideas and taking on special projects is one of the best ways to get the most out of the co-op experience. One of the respondents shared “my advice to new co-op librarians is to take on as many new projects and speak with as many colleagues in the field as possible. This will help you gain a perspective about the field, what future stream of librarianship you would like to enter, and what topics you are passionate about. Once you have this knowledge you can then focus on this as a future goal to help guide your studies as a lifelong learner.”

Other advice included taking advantage of professional development and training opportunities when offered. The range of skills training at Western Libraries include the Bloomberg Market Concepts course that can be done in the library and many other vendor-related workshops and training sessions available in-person and online. The library regularly offers in-service training and workshops on various topics including presentations from the University’s Media Relations on how to respond to media inquires and from the Campus Special Constables on managing in difficult or conflict situations and emergency response. Other opportunities include volunteering at library conferences getting involved in professional associations.

Western Libraries has a dedicated team of Librarians who organize Professional Development sessions for the co-op librarians on placement in any of the six library locations. Typically, there are 3-4 co-op librarians hired in the calendar year. The Professional Development sessions vary from year to year and can include the following topics: strategic planning for the library, working within a collective agreement, interview tips and career advice for full-time librarian opportunities, and an introduction to Archives. These sessions are hosted by Librarians from across Western Libraries.

Lastly, one respondent suggested taking full advantage of networking opportunities. Western Libraries holds a monthly “Fika” event in which librarians and staff across the library system gather for coffee and informal conversation. Fika was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, but before it was possible for co-op librarians to attend. For a co-op librarian, this is a wonderful opportunity to meet librarians with diverse portfolios, make connections, and learn from others. While co-op librarian placements are usually focused on a particular library, portfolio, or project, social opportunities like these can broaden a co-op librarians’ knowledge of librarianship.

Conclusions

Moving forward, the Business Library will incorporate the feedback from the co-op librarians when preparing to hire in the future. Having a co-op librarian in the library is a win-win for both the co-op librarian and the library. These future graduates will be colleagues in the profession. The work experience that these co-op librarians described confirms that in addition to learning about the library, processes and special projects, the co-op experience provides confidence to apply new skills and try new things (Harwood & McCormack, 2008). Employers and selection committees are looking for relevant work experience when hiring new librarians. The responses from the co-op librarians confirms that skills learned on the co-op term are transferrable to professional positions after graduation and aided in their long-term career paths.

References

Grogan, D. J. (2007). Education for librarianship: Some persistent issues. Education for Information, 25(1), 5–26. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-2007-25102

Harwood D., & McCormack C. (2008). Grow Our Own: Mentoring Undergraduate Students. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship,13(3), 201-215. https://doi.org/10.1080/08963560802183195

Hoffmann, K., & Berg, S. (2014). “You Can’t Learn It in School”: Field Experiences and Their Contributions to Education and Professional Identity / «Ça ne s’apprend pas à l’école »: Les expériences de terrain et leur contribution à la formation de l’identité éducationnelle et professionnelle. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 38(3), 220-238. https://doi.org/10.1353/ils.2014.0015.

Western Faculty of Information and Media Studies. MLIS Co-op, February 28, 2025. https://www.fims.uwo.ca/programs/graduate_programs/master_of_library_and_information_science/coop.html