SLIS 794 Internship in School Library Media

Deadlines | Pre/Co-requisites | National Exam | Credit Hours | Internship Packet

COURSE DESCRIPTION (3 or 6 credits)

The internship in School Library Media is a faculty supervised field experience designed to afford school library media candidates an opportunity to apply theories and techniques learned through previous course work to the requirements and expectations of actual practice under the direction of a qualified cooperating media specialist in an approved K-12 school library.

The internship focuses on professional practices rather than clerical level tasks. The candidate should observe and participate in all major areas of library operations and services. The internship should involve a wide variety of tasks, problems, opportunities, observations, and challenges as outlined in the Internship Guidelines. The internship experience provides candidates with opportunities to demonstrate proficiency in various professional skills, to extend skills expertise, or in some cases, to address skills deficiencies. Part of each candidate's responsibility is to self-reflect and self-evaluate to identify skills that need to be improved and knowledge or expertise that needs to be acquired.

Pre-Co-Requisites

SLIS 701, 702, 703, 705, 706, 707, 742, 761, 756, and 757. SLIS 720 is also a prerequisite or co-requisite. Current certification as a classroom teacher is a prerequisite for additional certification in the area of school library media. Candidates seeking initial certification should complete four required education courses as outlined in the school media checklist (http://www.libsci.sc.edu/program/mediachecklist2007.pdf) as well as the FBI background check as part of the application for certification.

Deadlines for Applications for Candidates Applying for Initial Certification:

Dec 1, 2007 is the deadline for turning in your initial certification paperwork to the Office of Student Affairs in the College of Education to begin an Internship in the Fall of 2008 and April 15, 2007 is the deadline for a Spring 2008 internship.
Applications for initial certification include fingerprinting and background checks. Enclose a $75.00 check or money order payable to the SC Department of Education with your application for initial certification.  An additional $98.00 fee will be billed to your university account the semester of your internship . For more information, contact:

Catherine S. Luthren
Certification Officer
USC College of Education
Wardlaw 113
Columbia, SC 29201
Email Address: stewarce@gwm.sc.edu
Telephone: 803-777-3031

Deadlines for Applications for Candidates Applying for Additional Certification

Candidates who currently hold a valid and current classroom teaching license, need to submit the completed Advanced Certification Application Packet to the Office of Student Affairs at the beginning of their internship semester. A $65.00 fee will be billed to your university account during the semester of your internship .  You should pay this through VIP or at Petigru just as you do your tuition fees.

Deadlines for Applications for Internships in School Library Media

Applications for internships in school library media must be submitted to the SLIS Student Services Office no later than the first week of October for spring semester placements and no later than the first week of March for fall semester placements. Applications for internships are available from the SLIS Student Services Office.

National Exams

Praxis II in School Media (Test Code 0310) is required for certification and should be taken after completion of SLIS classes, especially SLIS 720. The minimum passing score for certification in SC is currently 590. As of July 2006, the minimum passing score will be 620.

Candidates seeking licensure in school library media in states outside South Carolina should

1. Be responsible for independently contacting the Department of Education in the state where they are seeking certification at the beginning of their program of study.

2. Learn the specific requirements for licensure in the state where seeking certification.

3. Be responsible for independently fulfilling these specific requirements, including additional course work, paperwork, and fees.

4. Work closely with the Office of Student Affairs at USC to help facilitate certification outside South Carolina.

Credit Hours

The internship (3-hour) is completed during one semester of approximately 16 weeks. The fall semester usually begins the last week of August and runs through the second week in December. The spring semester usually begins the second week in January and runs through the first week in May.

The internship (3-hour) is a part-time position and normally should not exceed an average of 16 hours per week. Actual schedules, however, are determined through mutual agreement among the faculty supervisor/internship coordinator, the on site cooperating media specialist and the Candidate. The minimum time to be spent on site for an internship (3-hours) is 22 full days when K-12 students are engaged in academic classes. Additional days are required for site visits, conference attendance, professional development opportunities, professional meetings, reading and written assignments, and on campus Saturday class meetings.

Candidates planning to complete 6 credits during a fall or spring semester should contact the School Library Media Field Experience Coordinator for advisement early in their program of study.

In no case should the candidate complete an internship under the supervision of an individual who is related through family or prior friendship or employed at the same institution. For example, if a candidate is employed as a teacher in a school, that candidate is to complete the internship experience in an environment outside that in which he or she is employed. It is considered a conflict of interest for the supervisor to be a co-employee with the candidate. Also, a candidate should not complete an internship in a school where his or her children are in current attendance.