LIT Program Internships

Information on this site applies ONLY to the Palomar College LIT Program (library studies). Contact Jason Jarvinen in the Cooperative Education Office or Rosie Antonecchia in the Career Center for information about finding or posting a non-library internship.

LIT Students! Do you want to . . .

Earn college credit for working in a job related to your potential career field?
Have the opportunity to earn money while learning (an internship may be paid or unpaid)?
Learn what actual work is like in your potential career?

If you answered “YES” to any of these questions, then enroll in a Cooperative Education course to do an LIT internship!

What’s Involved

To receive credit for an internship, you must:

Find an internship job. (Please use professional language when composing the initial interest emails, and have your resume ready to provide if requested from internship sites.)
Register for a Cooperative Education (CE 100) to get Palomar College credit for your internship.
Work your internship and complete a few other requirements during the course.

Follow the steps to set up and complete your internship to earn Palomar units.

Steps to Set Up Your Internship

Find and set up your internship job before the session starts (full semester or fast track options are available).
- You can find an internship site on your own, or contact someone from our list of sites.
- If your employer isn’t listed below, ask them to review LIT Information for Employers so they know what is expected of them.
Register for CE 100.
- See available course sections for the current and upcoming semesters.
- You may register for 2, 3, or 4 units. 1-unit internships are available by special arrangement only – contact the LIT Internship Coordinator for more information.
- Be sure to register for the number of units that match the hours you can work to receive credit for the internship. See the hours required.
Consult the Class Schedule and Cooperative Education website for additional information.
Notify Alexandra Doyle Bauer, LIT Cooperative Education Coordinator, that you’re planning an internship.

Steps to Complete Your Internship

Attend a 1-hour internship orientation at the start of each session, where you will receive additional instructions and forms to complete. Orientation dates will be listed in your enrollment confirmation or contact the Cooperative Education Office.
Complete and submit all required course documents and assignments throughout the session, including monthly timesheets and reports. You will receive more information at the internship orientation, but some of this information is available now on the Cooperative Education website.
Meet once at the end of the session with your Cooperative Education instructor.
Work the required minimum number of hours. This depends on the number of units you enroll in and whether the internship is paid or unpaid (volunteer):
- 1 unit = 54 volunteer hours
- 2 units = 108 volunteer hours
- 3 units = 162 volunteer hours
- 4 units = 216 volunteer hours

REMEMBER!

It is your responsibility to find and arrange your internship.
Make sure your internship schedule allows you to work the required minimum number of hours during the semester.
Confirm that your internship site supervisor is willing to monitor your progress, including:
- identify 3 internship learning objectives with you
- verify the hours you work and sign your timesheet each month
- meet once with your Cooperative Education instructor
- complete some other requirements (see LIT Information for Employers).

Available Course Sections

Course Instructor for sections for LIT students are listed as Jarvinen, Jason. Contact the Cooperative Education Office (see below) for permission codes if desired section is filled, and for the Orientation schedule (will also be listed in your enrollment confirmation after registering)

Spring 2025

Instructor	Subj	Cat #	Unit	Class#	Cmpnt	Start Dt	End Dt	Session	Min. Hours Requirement
Full semester
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	2.00	31620	LAB	01/27/25	05/22/25	FUL	108 non-paid hours
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	3.00	31621	LAB	01/27/25	05/22/25	FUL	162 non-paid hours
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	4.00	30587	LAB	01/27/25	05/22/25	FUL	216 non-paid hours
12-week sessions
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	2.00	31826	LAB	02/24/25	05/22/25	TW2	108 non-paid hours
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	3.00	31962	LAB	02/24/25	05/22/25	TW2	162 non-paid hours
8-week session
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	2.00	31622	LAB	03/31/25	05/22/25	FT2	108 non-paid hours

Fall 2024

Instructor	Subj	Cat #	Unit	Class#	Cmpnt	Start Dt	End Dt	Session	Min. Hours Requirement
Full semester
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	2.00	70598	LAB	08/26/24	12/23/24	FUL	120 non-paid or 150 paid hours
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	3.00	70597	LAB	08/26/24	12/23/24	FUL	180 non-paid or 225 paid hours
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	4.00	71454	LAB	08/26/24	12/23/24	FUL	240 non-paid or 300 paid hours
12-week sessions
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	2.00	71483	LAB	09/23/24	12/21/24	TW2	120 non-paid or 150 paid hours
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	3.00	72825	LAB	09/23/24	12/21/24	TW2	180 non-paid or 225 paid hours
8-week session
Jarvinen, Jason	CE	100	2.00	71509	LAB	10/21/24	12/21/24	FT2	120 non-paid or 150 paid hours

Contact us for Help

Contact the people listed below, or visit the Cooperative Education Office website for more information about course registration, forms, deadlines, and other internship requirements. NOTE: For Summer, contact Professor Jarvinen only.

*Library & Information Technology Dept.*	Cooperative Education Office
Alexandra Doyle Bauer, MLIS Professor & Internship Coordinator for Library & Information Technology Email: adoylebauer@palomar.edu Tel.: 760-744-1150 x2696	Jason Jarvinen Associate Professor/Work Experience Coordinator San Marcos Campus Room P8E Email: jjarvinen@palomar.edu Tel.: 760-744-1150 x2355 or Kat Balouch Academic Dept. Assistant San Marcos Campus Room P8D Email: kbalouch@palomar.edu Tel.: 760-744-1150 x2354

Internship Opportunities for Library Students

Contact Jason Jarvinen in the Cooperative Education Office or Rosie Antonecchia in the Career Center for non-library internships.

STUDENTS: If you are interested in an internship listed below, please contact and make arrangements directly with the employer.

EMPLOYERS: Only library-related internships are posted here. To list a library internship, review the LIT Information for Potential Employers and contact Alexandra Doyle Bauer, LIT Cooperative Education Coordinator.

INFORMATION FOR BOTH STUDENTS AND EMPLOYERS:

This is not a comprehensive listing of opportunities available, and is provided as a courtesy to LIT students and potential internship employers. Students wishing to intern at other sites should contact those employers directly.
Palomar College does not guarantee that students will be accepted for an internship at any of the sites listed here.
Palomar College does not guarantee that employers listed here will get interns from our program.
Palomar College does not provide any monetary compensation for internship employers, supervisors, or students.
Palomar College is not involved in any other way with the placement, hiring, or employment of its students who perform paid or unpaid internships at non-Palomar College work sites for their cooperative education experience/internship.
Beginning Spring 2019, employers must complete and submit an Internship Affiliation Agreement. To obtain this form and for more information, contact the Cooperative Education Department.
Per California Education Code 78249, students who are enrolled in cooperative work experience education (CE 100) through Palomar College and are not getting paid for these services by their cooperative education employer are covered by Palomar Community College District’s worker’s compensation/liability insurance outside of the classroom. Contact the Cooperative Education Department for more information.

AVAILABLE INTERNSHIPS
Sites accepting LIT interns; you may also do your internship at another site of your choosing. All information below is current as of this date, even if the posting date is older. Also, view paid jobs posted on the LIT Career Opportunities page – LIT students may concurrently earn internship credit at a regular paid position by enrolling in a Cooperative Education course and following the requirements for earning internship credit.

National City Public Library (Added February 2025)

1401 National City Blvd
National City, CA 91950
Contact:
localhistory@nationalcityca.gov 619-470-5851

HOW TO APPLY: Please submit a CV or resume with three references and a Cover Letter. All materials should go to localhistory@nationalcityca.gov. No phone calls or drop-ins, please.

JOB TITLE: Special Collections Digital Projects Intern

INTERNSHIP OPPERTUNITY: The Local History Room intern program provides training and mentoring in archives, digital preservation, inventory conversion and access to digital repositories for local community members to prepare them for careers or advancement into digital archiving, which can translate to career pathways in records management, academia and research, and collections management.

LIBRARY & ARCHIVES: The Local History Room specializes in organizing and providing historical information about National City and Southern California to departments within the organization and to the general public. For more information about the library, please visit https://www.nationalcityca.gov/government/library/local-history .

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS INTERN PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Interns will work with the Technical Services Librarian processing archival holding, digital preservation, digital collection development, accessioning and deaccessioning. Interns and may also be asked to assist volunteers in the archive on occasion. Interns will receive daily instruction, guidance, and follow-up for all tasks assigned. A final project will be selected and posted to either the Online Archive of California or Calisphere.

Primary responsibilities include:

Processing archival holdings
Accessioning
Deaccessioning+–
Inventorying
Digital preservation

Responsibilities may also include:

Occasional assistance with clerical projects outside the archive
Scanning material

QUALIFICATIONS:

Interest in library, information, and/or data sciences;
Organizational skills
Technology skills.

ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants must reside in San Diego County;
A special emphasis is placed on recruiting students 18 or over residing in or attending high school or college in San Diego County who are interested in a career in archives and digital preservation. Members of groups underrepresented are especially encouraged.

HOURS: Flexible schedule. Some remote work may be possible.

COMPENSATION: Unpaid, internship position.

LOCATION: On-Site. Some remote work may be possible.

Braille Institute Library (Added 8/11/2023)
9635 Granite Ridge Dr. #130
San Diego, CA 92123
Contact:
Donna Wager, Director of Volunteer Services
714-503-2113
dewager@brailleinstitute.org

The Braille Institute Library is an award-winning branch of the National Library Service (NLS.) Our specialty library makes reading possible for people who are blind and visually impaired with access to thousands of books and magazines – including new titles, best sellers, children’s books, and foreign language selections – in audio and braille formats.

Duties will include:

Work directly with library patrons
Take and prepare book orders
Educate callers/visitors about Braille Institute Library Services
Teach patrons to use digital book players and download books
Sorting digital book collection
Assisting with outreach efforts
Great customer service is a must!
As part of our unpaid Volunteer Team, interns will gain valuable experience in a unique library environment.

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library and Archives (Added 5/17/2023)
15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027
Contact:
Kelley Woolley
760-747-8702 x5479
kwoolley@sdzwa.org

Gain experience in collection maintenance and management while working in a special library committed to serving the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Conservation Research Center, helping to lead the fight against animal and plant extinction. Please visit our website or contact us to learn more about our collections and services: http://library.sandiegozoo.org/

Includes the following, plus the opportunity for some customization determined by student interest and learning objectives:

Assist with processing and cataloging new acquisitions, gaining familiarity with the Library of Congress classification system and the Library’s ILS, book wrapping, and procedures.
Re-shelve, shelf-read, relabel, and assess book condition, identifying and documenting books requiring repair.

Learn to use a bibliographic citation management program, including multiple methods for importing, exporting, duplicate detection, and assisting with entering new citations into our Staff Publications Database.
Gain familiarity with OCLC WorldShare ILL and assist with inter-library loan requests.
Assist with archive processing backlogs, creating finding aids, and improving organization.

Our unpaid library volunteers are also enrolled in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance volunteer program, which includes recognition, rewards, and discounts.

San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library (Added 2/22/2023)

Location:
1788 El Prado
San Diego, CA 92101
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 121390
San Diego, CA 92112-1390
Contact:
hr@sdnhm.org 619-255-0225

JOB TITLE: Library Collections Apprentice

STEM APPRENTICESHIPS: The San Diego Natural History Museum science research apprenticeship program provides training and mentoring in curation, imaging, databasing protocols, and collections-based research to members of groups of underrepresented High School seniors and Undergraduate students, to prepare them for continued advancement in biological sciences, which can translate to career pathways in academia and research, as well as biological consulting.

RESEARCH LIBRARY & ARCHIVES: Within the Museum, the Research Library & Archives specializes in organizing and providing natural history information about Southern California and Baja California to the many departments within the organization and to the general public. For more information about the library, please visit www.sdnhm.org/science/research-library

LIBRARY COLLECTIONS APPRENTICE PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Apprentice will work with the Director of Research Library & Archives on collection development, accessioning, deaccessioning, and large-scale shelf migration. Apprentice may oversee volunteers and may also be asked to perform circulation tasks. Apprentice will also be expected to create a final report or presentation on their work. Apprentices will receive daily instruction, guidance, and follow-up for all tasks assigned.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Primary responsibilities include:

Collection development;
Cataloguing;
Accessioning;
Deaccessioning;
Large-scale shelf migration.

Responsibilities may also include:

Overseeing volunteers;
Circulation.

Final Evaluation:

Apprentice must create a report / presentation on their work at the end of the apprenticeship. This will likely be data-focused, so an interest in data and data visualization is preferable.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Interest in library, information, and/or data sciences;
Organizational skills;

Technology skills.

ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants must reside in San Diego County;
A special emphasis is placed on recruiting students 18 or over residing in or attending high school or college in San Diego County who are members of groups underrepresented in STEM careers.

HOURS: Up to 275 hours total. Flexible schedule. Some remote work may be possible.

COMPENSATION: Paid, hourly, $16.30/hr.

LOCATION: On-Site. Some remote work may be possible.

HOW TO APPLY: Please submit a CV or resume with three references and a Cover Letter. All materials should go to hr@sdnhm.org. No phone calls or drop-ins, please.

Pauma AA’Alvikat Library – Pauma Band of Mission Indian Reservation (Added 11/17/2022)
1010 Reservation RD Pauma Valley, CA 92562
Contact:
Victoria Murphy, MLS
Library Manager
760-742-1289 x 305
vmurphy@pauma-nsn.gov
Pauma AA’Alvikat Library is open 10 AM – 5PM Mon, Tues, Thurs, 10 AM – 6 PM Wed, 10 – 3 PM Fri. Closed Sat & Sun and holidays.

Are you looking for a unique library experience where you can both sample a little bit of every part of librarianship while serving a special community? Pauma AA’Alvikat Library has the internship for you! Responsibilities include:

Catalog new materials
Weed library collections
Staff reference desk
Conduct reference interviews
Assist with selecting new library items
Plan, organize, implement, and lead unique library programs
Check out, return, shelve items
Participate in community outreach
Design book displays to encourage circulation
Attend library committee meetings

Internships may be paid or volunteer. Contact Victoria Murphy for more details.

San Diego Archaeological Center – Archaeological Library Internship (Updated 5/10/2021)
16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA 92027-7001
Contact:
Suzanne Moramarco
Collections/Library Specialist
San Diego Archaeological Center & Museum
(760) 291-0370
vol.intern@sandiegoarchaeology.org
http://www.SanDiegoArchaeology.org
SDAC is open Mondays – Saturdays. Visitors and Volunteers welcomed.

Do you have an interest in history, anthropology or archaeology? Would like to work in a Special Library? Come check out the SDAC Library. Duties of the Internship may include:

Accessioning and cataloging new and previously unprocessed books into the library collection
Evaluating general condition of the archive
Cataloging collection according to standardized SDAC nomenclature
Creating a user guide for a particular resource type
Observing and learning Center procedures for regular collection inspection, pest control, and monitoring of environmental conditions
Providing assistance to Center staff and outside researchers in the use of collections, including access, retrieval, and replacement of library material.

This is an unpaid internship. Volunteers are also welcome. Additional information can be found at https://sandiegoarchaeology.org/volunteer-and-internships/

San Diego County Library (Updated 5/6/2021)
Valley Center Branch: Laura Zuckerman, Branch Manager
760-749-1305
Laura.Zuckerman@sdcounty.ca.gov

Opportunities available at all branches throughout San Diego County, These are non-paid volunteer assignments that may include some or all of the following tasks:

1. Provides courteous, high quality service to members of the public by personally responding to requests for service or appropriate referral on-line, in person, or by telephone.
2. Assists customers in the use of library facilities materials and community resources.
3. Uses automated circulation system to charge and discharge library materials, create and edit customer accounts, and maintain accurate inventory records.
4. Assists customers in the use of library technology including wireless access, computers, printers, self-service equipment, and on-line library resources.
5. Shelves library materials.
6. Maintains library facilities by keeping them in an orderly and appealing condition.
7. Collects and accounts for money using automated cashiering systems or other technology.
8. Packs and unpacks materials.