Overview: The End

About to Head Home

I took this picture right before I left with my phone.  Interlochen is a hard place to leave behind.  (And perhaps I'll return, as there may be a job opening up soon..)  This job has provided me with a vast number of experiences I doubt I could really get any other way than by doing, and being allowed to do, all of the amazing things that I've done.

Getting to work with a vast age range of campers, faculty and staff has been truly eye opening.  I honestly had no idea how different the age groups would be, and how I would have to adapt so much depending on the knowledge and understanding level of the person asking me for information.  I learned how to best manage those who don't have a good idea of what they want, those who know EXACTLY what they want, and those who don't want to bother to look for themselves.  I learned how to best appease.  How to best discipline.  How to be gracious when others are not.  Only having such a vast variety could have done this for me.

Getting to work with a call number conversion project.  Getting to create a useful pathfinder for high schoolers.  These are special projects that will prepare me for my future as an academic librarian.

Getting to assist the ensemble librarians.  This is REALLY not an experience I could get anywhere else.  I feel like I have a better picture of my field (music librarianship) now that I've seen all sides.

Getting to make connections with noted faculty and staff.  I made professional contacts here that I wouldn't have met anywhere else.  And we have something in common from the get go.  A bond.  I've exchanged so many business cards this week.  Hopefully this will help me in the future.

Overall, I may have had my reservations about this job.. but I was proven so wrong.  I really feel like this is one of the more encompassing internships for someone in my field out there.   So now I'm done, and I look forward to presenting on this opportunity to my department.  Hopefully Indiana University will continue to send interns to Interlochen.