Libraries used to be their own little kingdoms of knowledge. If you needed to research something, you’d go to the library and hope that they had what you were looking for. If they didn’t, you were out of luck. The Internet has changed everything. Now we live in a world where our libraries are interconnected and information resources can be shared instantly between institutions. And even there is a resource that can’t be shared electronically, you can track it down instantly. A big reason that this is possible is Dublin, OH based Online Computer Library Center. They started in 1967 as “a regional computer system for 54 Ohio colleges;” however, they have since grown to serving “more than 71,000 libraries of all types in the U.S. and 112 countries and territories around the world.” They’re better known as the OCLC, and they’ve very much an Information Technology focused non-profit.
OCLC’s vision is very simple: “The world’s libraries. Connected.” They do this through WorldCat (a global network of library content and services), a Membership Association, a wide array of Products and Services, Support and Training, and Programs and Research. Basically anything that helps libraries do their job better by networking with other libraries is OCLC’s realm. If you’re into Information Science, then this is the place to be. That’s also true because OCLC has been named by Computerworld as one of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT for the past 4 years, which is why you should check out their Careers page and internship postings. Specific opportunities include Harvesting Intern (San Mateo, CA), Technical Intern (Dublin, OH), and Cataloging in Publication Intern (Blackwood, NJ). There’s also a Corporate Library Practicum that isn’t an internship, but it’s kind of internship-like. There’s no mention of whether these positions are paid, and you can apply for any of these positions online, so get to it!
Links to Help You Begin Your Research
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Tags: analyst, California, data, information technology, Internships, library, New Jersey, non-profit, Ohio, research, software development
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