1

EP

Standard
Operating
Procedure
for Internship

FACULTY OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

School of Social Sciences, IGNOU, New Delhi
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Standard Operating Procedure for Internship for

MLIS Programme

Introduction

MLIS aims to produce professionals who can be appointed in libraries and information
centres in junior and middle-level positions. With time and after gaining experience
they move further up in position. They can also be self-employed providing
information based services and products, even open their own start-ups. Students
can be introduced and exposed to work culture, routines, and practices by placing
them as interns in different working environments. The internship has also been
stressed in the New Education Policy. It also directs to have a component of practical
in all the courses. The internship will expose the students to translating their
learning into work/job and also consolidate their practical learning in the LIS School
by doing it during an internship for providing services and designing information
products. It is necessary to introduce the student to the concept and need for an
internship. S/he needs to be sensitised to the need, objectives, and process of an
internship. A short theoretical course/module needs to be introduced as part of the
curriculum for the student to understand the internship. To bring home the
seriousness of its students should be evaluated for this short course/module. The
broad SOP for this can be as follows:

Standard Operating Procedures

The SOP has been designed to guide all those who are involved in the internship
programme. The SOP provides step-by-step instructions and guidelines for the
students/interns as well as Regional/ Study Centers, Training Supervisors/
Counsellours as per the needs of the course curriculum.

1. SOP for Internship

a) RC/LSC will apprise the students about the internship modalities, guidelines,
Workbook writing, and assessment mechanisms including the Viva-voce.

b) Students will be attached to a Library and Information Centre (LIC) at a particular

city/town for undertaking the internship. Students will perform the activities step by
step as given in respect of professional in-house operations of the library.

c) The internship schedules will be informed by RC/LSC. Regional Centre will attach the
students to different LICs and put the information on the website of the Regional
Center. Contact detail of the person in the LIC will also be displayed on the website
of the RC.

d) The selection of a LIC can be made by the learners on their own also (as per the
criteria given in the internship SOP/handbook). In such a case they must inform the
RC/LSC about the LIC. The learners can seek the support of RC/SC for reference letters
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(if required). The RCs are expected to confirm the suitability of the LIC or training
supervisor/counsellor where the learner has been placed.

e) The LIC should provide a training supervisor/counsellor to provide the intern with
suitable guidance/instruction that will be handled by the intern under his/her
supervision. To the extent possible the LIC may try to provide the learner with a
diverse working environment. The training supervisor/counsellor will evaluate the
intern on the basis of his/her sincerity and professional competence, on the basis of
assessment (taking of assigned work, examination of work, interview, etc.)

f) If the learners face any difficulties/ problems/conflicts at the LIC, the same may be
reported to the RC/LSC. The RC/LSC may then discuss the matter with the learner as
well as the supervisor in the LIC and try to sort out the problem. If any LIC selected
initially does not provide the needed exposure to learners, the same can be given up
and another similar LIC may be selected in place of it. The internship is to be carried
out in only one LIC.

g) Working or sponsored candidates of the Library and Information Centre may/will fulfill
the criteria of internship in their respective organisation subject to the fulfillment of
other formalities.

h) Intern will perform the activities as given in the workbook for a minimum of 5 HOURS
a day, Five DAYS a week, for a period of ONE MONTH, excluding holidays to be worked
for completing the internship. The student has to complete 100 hours of training
during the internship.

i) During the course of the internship, the intern is expected to regularly interact and
report about the work done by him/ her to the training supervisor/counsellor, who in
turn will discuss the cases with the learner and clarify any doubts in the learner’s
mind. The report pertaining to the work done is to be corrected by the training
supervisor/counsellor. The training supervisor/counsellor is expected to evaluate the
learner on the basis of the workbook, a report written, work done by the intern, and
the overall understanding of the intern.

j) The learners will learn and acquire skills and professional acumen from under-trained
practitioners in the concerned setting. There will be one-to-one supervision and the
intern will be closely supervised by the training supervisor/counsellor who will give
them feedback about their performance.

k) The Intern will maintain and complete a workbook based on the work performed
during the training. It will be authenticated with remarks by the internship
supervisor/counsellor about his/her performance during the internship.
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2. Requirements for the Training Host/Organisation

a) The interns shall be provided the internship opportunity in Public Libraries

under various Ministries (RRRLF, National Library, DPL, libraries under CSIR
ICAR, DRDO) educational and research institutions recognized by the
government regulators (UGC/AICTE/MCI/RCI/ PCI/BCI/CoE, etc.), Intuition of
National Importance (IITs. IIITs, NITs, IIMs, IARI, etc.), organisations
registered under the Societies Act, etc.

b) Instruction to the interns may be provided in the Hindi/Regional

Language/English.

c) The Training Host/Organisation should have a full-fledged library with a

minimum collection of 5,000 documents.

3. Qualification of Internship Supervisor

a) The Training Host/Organisation shall provide a professional qualified training

supervisor/ counsellor (one over a group of six – ten interns in a maximum of the
ratio of 1:10)

b) The minimum qualification of a training supervisor/counsellor will be as follows:

 Ph.D. in Library and Information Science.

OR

 Master's Degree in Library and Information Science with two years of experience
in a reputed library.

4. Schedule of Internship

a) A student will be placed for an internship for 1 month only.

b) Students of the January cycle shall be placed for attachment in August so that
they can complete it by October and in the July cycle students shall be placed
for attachment in January so that they can complete it by March.

5. Structure and Phases of the Internship

The students and the attaching institution where the students will undergo the
attachment programme will be provided with the schedule of an internship. It may
be as follows:
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STRUCTURE OF THE INTERNSHIP

S.No. Training: Training: Assignments and Tasks Duration

Components
1 Operations Acquisition, Accessioning, Classification, 1st week-
Cataloguing, e-Resource Management, Stock 2 days
verification, etc.
2 Services Reference, Circulation, ILL, CAS/SDI, etc. 2nd
week-
3 days
3 Automation Database creation, applications in different routines 3rd One
and services week
4 Digitisation Digitising materials, Creating applications and One week
products like repositories, Preservation, etc.
5 Administration Writing notes, and letters, organizing events, etc. 4th
week
3 days
6 Publication LICs having publication work or such a unit may be 4th week 2
asked to handle the activities involved therein- days

6. Do’s and Don’t do’s for the Intern

Do’s

a) Once the centre for the internship has been identified and assigned, the student
should present herself/himself at the centre (for the scheduled duration).

b) Students will get the workbook authenticated periodically by the Supervisor

allotted to them by the Library and Information Centre.

c) It will be mandatory for the students to submit a workbook after the completion
of 1 month’s internship to the respective IGNOU Regional Centre.

d) While submitting the Workbook, students are required to enclose a “Certificate of

Originality of Workbook” which should be authenticated by the Supervisor in the
prescribed format.
e) At the time of internship student will maintain decorum and discipline

Don’t do’s

a) The student should not abstain from training during the period of internship.

b) Interns should not damage the property of the training host/organisation,

otherwise, they will be held responsible and the loss if any may be recovered by
the said organisation.
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c) After completion of the internship intern shall not claim to have full-time
engagement otherwise.

7. Evaluation

a) Evaluation by Internship Supervisor/counsellor: An Internship report in a

prescribed format (along with a workbook) and the conduct/performance during
the internship period has to be submitted by the learner that will be evaluated by
the Internship Supervisor/counsellor of the Training Host/Organisation. This
internal assessment will carry 35% weightage.

(Note: The Learner should keep a photocopy of the Internship Report/ workbook
before submitting it to their Study Centre. Students need to carry a practical
Internship Report/workbook for TEE (viva-voce). Yes, or else they will not be
allowed to appear for TEE. Students will attend the viva voce at their own expense.

b) External Evaluation: The internship report submitted to the SED at IGNOU

headquarters shall be evaluated in the order received. The internship report will
be sent to an expert for evaluation. This evaluation will carry 35% weightage.

c) The TEE (viva-voce) prior to/after term-end examination to assess the skills and
competencies acquired by the student during the Internship will be held/organize
by the concerned Regional Centre/any other location, for which the students will
be informed through email/ SMS/ website. This evaluation will carry 25%
weightage.

EVALUATION SCHEME

S.No. Evaluation Component Weightage

1 Attendance 5%
2 Workbook 35%
3 Report 35%
4 Viva Voce 25%

The minimum qualifying mark for internship is 50%.

8. Attendance

An intern attached to the training host/organisation will present herself/himself during

the whole duration of the training without fail. However, for unseen reasons, s/he may
be allowed two days’ leave in a month on valid grounds.

9. Maintenance of Records

An intern is required to prepare the following documents:

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a) Workbook: Students of the four-credit attachment internship will write a Work

Book based on activities and assignments to be provided by the training
host/organisation. Students will write a workbook on a day-to-day basis based on
their work experiences and discussions with the internship supervisor/counsellor
and peer group learners. Students are required to give a declaration that the
Workbook written by them is original and not copied from any other source. No
other format will be provided. Students are required to submit Work Book(s) of the
internship at the Regional Centre. They need to keep a photocopy of each Work
Book before submission to the Regional Centre. Evaluation of the workbooks will
be carried out by Regional Centre and evaluation reports will be sent to SED.

b) Detailed Report: The intern will submit a detailed project report based on the
assignments and tasks completed during the training period and recorded in the
workbook. The Internship report will be further evaluated by external experts.

c) Viva Voce: A viva voce exam will be conducted to actually ascertain the level of
skills acquired during the training.

11. No Financial Liability

It is to be noted that there is no financial liability on account of internship on the

part of the interns, LIC, or IGNOU. There are no fees for attending or imparting
internship.
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Annexure: Internship Workbook- MLIS

INTERNSHIP WORKBOOK

Weeks Module Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Tasks Tasks Tasks Tasks Tasks
Assigned & Assigned & Assigned & Assigned & Assigned &
Performed Performed Performed Performed Performed
1st Operations 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
week 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor

2nd Services 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
week 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor

3rd Automation 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
week 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor
4th Digitization 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
week 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor
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Annexure: Internship Workbook- MLIS

INTERNSHIP WORKBOOK

Weeks Module Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Tasks Tasks Tasks Tasks Tasks
Assigned & Assigned & Assigned & Assigned & Assigned &
Performed Performed Performed Performed Performed
2 days Operations 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
( First 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
week) 3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor

3 days Services 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
( First 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
week) 3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor

2nd Automation 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
week 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor
3rd Digitization 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
week 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor
2 days Administration 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
(Fourth 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
week) 3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor
3 days Publication 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
(Fourth 2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
week) 3. 3. 3. 3. 3.

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the Sign of the
Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor Training Supervisor
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(a) Operations: Acquisition, Accessioning, Classification, Cataloguing, e-Resource

Management, Stick verification, etc.

(b) Services: Reference, Circulation, ILL, CAS/SDI, etc.

(c) Automation: Database creation, applications in different routines and services.

(d) Digitisation: Digitising materials, Creating applications and products like

repositories, Preservation, etc.

(e) Administration: Writing notes, letters, organizing events, etc.

(f) Publication: LICs having publication work or such a unit may be asked to handle
the activities involved therein-

Annexure: Internship Report

The attachment report to be submitted by the student may be along the following
lines

1. Name & enrolment number of the student

2. Name of the Programme

3. Year of enrolment

4. Name of the attachment institution

5. Time period of training

6. Report- State the activities performed by you and competence achieved in terms
of:

a) Operations
b) Activities
c) Routines
d) Services
e) Automation
f) Digitisation
g) Administration
h) Publication
i) Any other