Studies show that internships are important in library and archival professional training and development leading to more future job prospects. Yet, questions on the potential financial or social costs, particularly of unpaid internships especially from those underrepresented in the field, are understudied.
In this Institute of Museum and Library Services research project, Dr. Marika Cifor and doctoral candidate Itza A. Carbajal at the University of Washington are conducting a three-year investigation into the implications of internships for recruiting, training, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce prepared to engender social well being through U.S. library and archival institutions.
Using data collected through quantitative and qualitative methods, the project will design industry benchmarks for labor practices that will benefit a variety of cultural heritage institutions such as archives, libraries, museums, as well as the individuals and local communities who work in and with them.