Graduate Students Internship Experience and Its Impact on Practical Skills Development in LIS Education: A Survey

This study is carried out to identify graduate students internship experience and its impact on practical skills development in LIS Education. A survey design was adopted using a questionnaire as the main instrument for collecting data. The population consists of 120 postgraduate students of Library and Information Science, 30 PG Lecturers/coordinators in charge of internship and 50 Librarians/HOS of universities where internship has been carried out at the postgraduate level in two selected universities - Delta State University, Abraka and University of Calabar in Delta and Cross Rivers State all of South-South Nigeria. Data gathered were analyzed using simple percentages and mean score. The study revealed that the internship experience gets students exposed to modern ICTs used in librarianship which are not found in their current place of work especially working class interns. Also the study revealed poor timing of the internship programme as a problem facing the programme as lectures interfere with interning period. The need for the internship coordinator to involve interns before placement where revealed as a way to correct the discomfort perceived in wrong placement procedure by students. The study recommended that placement of graduate interns be done by the PG coordinator by considering students health status, work/study issues and a suitable participating library not necessarily the PG School library before posting them to embark on the internship