Building 21st Century Skills and Creating Communities: A Team-based Engagement Framework for Student Employment in Academic Libraries

Academic libraries are desirable work locations for undergraduate students and graduate library science interns alike. However, using undergraduate and graduate library science students only to perform task-oriented work within a traditional, hierarchical supervisory structure does not provide the maximum benefit to the student or the library, as it removes opportunities for students learning from each other. Our model proposes to create a team-based framework that engages students around a project and makes uses of myriad centers of expertise in the library. We employed this framework around the Douglass Alumnae Oral History Project, which provided opportunities for students to build their skills in digital projects, communication, teamwork, and community building.