Internships, Residencies, and Fellowships

Libraries need creative ways to grow a new generation of librarians, specifically middle managers. The authors’ profession is not known for training librarians to become managers, either in graduate school or on the job. Because of this deficiency they find themselves without a succession plan to fill the forthcoming retirements in upper management that will leave a gap in middle management. This chapter addresses time-limited appointments such as internships, residencies and fellowships and how they can prepare recent graduates for more advanced, non-entry level positions. Different skills and responsibilities can be built into the programs to better prepare new librarians to take on greater, more dynamic roles in an organization. These types of positions can serve as incubators for library leaders and enrich the entire profession.