Preface By Emily Classon, Assistant Director, Tewksbury Public Library The Tewksbury Public Library participated in the NMRLS internship program this spring and hosted Peter Struzziero, a student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. We were excited to help Peter learn about public libraries as part of his journey to becoming a librarian. Since Peter was not particularly interested in one department to start, we decided to provide an overview of all library departments. Peter worked with the Assistant Director to learn about library administration and daily operations. Next, Peter learned about children's services and programming with our Children's Librarian. He helped with a toddler craft, and although he enjoyed the experience, Peter seemed more interested in learning about other areas within the library. Peter shadowed our Reference Librarian to learn more about public service, the reference collection, and the reference interview. He learned about our local history services and began a project indexing local newspapers. Peter spent a day with our Technology Specialist to learn about computer services for the public. Peter assisted our Reference/Teen Librarian in a collection maintenance project in non-fiction. Finally, Peter experienced Technical Services work by learning about the department and participating in a reclassification project. Throughout the internship, we tried to mentor Peter on his path to librarianship. We showed him how to search for library positions, discussed library school, and described some of the other opportunities available for librarians. Peter was energetic and eager to find his niche within the library. We wish him well on his future library career.

My Semester in Tewksbury
By Peter Struzziero

During this past Semester, I had the opportunity offered to me by the Tewksbury Public Library to come and study the ins and the outs of the Library and how it is run. I explained before beginning the internship to the Assistant Director, Emily Classon, that I wanted to complete my philosophy degree and then go on to Simmons College in Boston to study Library Sciences, get my degree, and go on to be a librarian.

She set up a schedule that would allow me time to work with each of the librarians in the library to get a feel for each section as well as work on individual projects pertaining to each department.

I began in Reference working with Christine Goodchild. She showed me all the different sections of Reference. We reviewed all the different forms of educational manuals: dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, as well as specific reference books put out on a variety of topics ranging from sports, medicine, science, history and even rarities like coin collecting or individual statistics. She showed me how to determine what a patron needs to see when they come to the library and are searching for information. We discussed in detail the concept of the reference interview. This is the process to go through when a patron approaches the reference desk and is in need of help. The string of particular questions that can come out when trying to determine what exactly the patron needs to fulfill their needs at the library.

One day with Christine, we went into the local history room to see the process of preservation of local historical documents. They were kept in a separate locked room which is kept at a much lower temperature from the rest of the library in order to preserve the pages and the books which some of were over 100 years old. This is the section within the library where birth and death records are kept as well as any historical government paperwork donated to the library.

This was fascinating to me! I was in a room where no one is allowed in without signing in and surrendering all their belongings and looking at information which the public does not have immediate access to the way they have access to the rest of the library. I then began a local history project that I continued sporadically throughout my internship. I began a log of Births Deaths and Marriage announcements from 1957. I was given a laptop and access to a microfilm reader and I began an excel file keeping track of my entire findings on newspaper microfilm from the late 50's. It was extraordinary to look at the actual film from 1957 and see what it was the people saw back then.

After my time in Reference ended, I moved on to work with Noelle Couture in the Children's Department. I have the utmost respect for all the components within the children's department at every library. I never knew what a pivotal role the children's librarian plays in the library. I had a fun time working with Noelle. She showed me all the different parts to the children's department. I was able to take part in a Storytime session as well as a 4-year-old arts and crafts hour. It was overall an educational experience and I learned the importance of a children's department within every library.

Next I went back to Reference to do some of the less exciting work with Elizabeth Berlik. Elizabeth had me doing more catalog work on the computer as well as doing a space saving project within the shelving of the Reference department. Elizabeth is the teen service librarian in Tewksbury and she explained to me about the needs of the teen department or the young adult department and explained how it was a mixture between the regular catalog and the children's department. It contained DVDs as well as books for teens primarily in middle school, junior high, and the early years of high school. I only worked with Elizabeth for one day, but I received a good amount of information during that day.

I was invited to join the Friends of Tewksbury Library along with Elisabeth Desmarais, the Director of the Library, to prepare the Annual Book Sale. I took a Saturday off of work to go and meet with the Head of the Friends. I spent a period of time moving books around and arranging sections to sell the books for $1 a piece to the public. The Friends of the Library informed me of all the business contracts and money that is spent by the town in order to have the library run as smoothly as it does. I learned that the budget of the Tewksbury library was only 1% of the town's overall budget. They explained that it is spent partially on staff, partly on incoming materials and lastly on programming and other materials.

Next I spent a few hours one week with Joyce the technology specialist. Most of this work was completely computer related and over my head. I learned about the wireless Internet services they offer to the entire town for free. As well I was shown how this one worker from one computer, controls about 60 computers within the library, constantly updating them with spy ware and virus protection and updates on regular programs almost daily. I was given several bits of information instructing me on how to spruce up my home computer, which I have since done.

The last department I was able to work in was Technical Services with Erin Cressy. This was mostly a behind the scenes department where I learned about the incoming books and media that the library receives. I was shown the processes of accepting the materials and preparing them for distribution throughout the different sections of the library. One particular task I enjoyed was the preparation and security coding of the DVDs in the non-fiction section. I would label them and make up codes to be entered into the database naming each particular item. Then I would assemble the case and put them out on the shelf. I enjoy films a lot and it gave me a great chance to see how they are brought in to the library and all the processes that go with Media.

This Internship was a major step for me in my choice of field in the future. I constantly heard from the different librarians throughout the semester that the things I was learning would really give me a leg up on my courses in graduate school. I am looking forward hopefully to finding employment at a library before my transition to graduate school. I feel very confident and aware of my surroundings whenever I enter any library now, and I am planning on staying involved through volunteer programs until a position is located. I feel as though now, that it was an actual course taken off campus, because the knowledge I have come into contact with is overwhelming and will stay with me I am sure for years to come.