Funding for this internship is provided by donations to the Byrd Center High School Intern Program and contributions from University Libraries and the Office of Outreach and Engagement at The Ohio State University.

The high school summer internship program was conceived of by Ohio State University Libraries to enhance the 6-week Career Institute conducted by the Expanding Visions Foundation (EVF), a local non-profit. The Career Institute focuses on professional etiquette, resume writing, skills building, interviewing skills and professional career coaching. Students are eligible to interview for internships on graduation from the Career Institute.

In summer 2022, the program included multiple placements in STEM departments for the first time. The Byrd Center had interest in offering a similar program for years, but could not find the resources to market, recruit and train students at a rate of one to two students per year. The partnership with EVF and University Libraries provided the collective support for STEM involvement. Likewise, paid internships allowed the program to reach candidates beyond those able to volunteer their time. While the STEM placements are not explicitly focused on encouraging students to pursue future education or careers in STEM fields, that outcome would be a positive side effect.  

Some primary goals for the internship are to introduce high school students in underserved communities adjacent to campus with professional mentoring to provide them with real work experiences that can be included on their resume, as well as expose them to work in a professional setting, an academic library and a college campus. The University Libraries team believes that they have achieved these goals with all students who have interned and remains in contact with many of the interns. Five former interns are now Ohio State students, several of whom state that their experience with University Libraries heavily influenced their decision to attend Ohio State. Outcomes of involvement by STEM units will be examined in future years.

This program has worked to follow best practices and improve based on prior experiences and feedback from interns, supervisors and mentors. Here are some important facets of the program:

• Interns are paid and provided with a bus pass or parking pass, funds on their university ID for lunch and branded shirts
• Interns participate in weekly seminars/tours and have a weekly meeting with a non-supervisory mentor
• Interns are recruited, trained and matched via a community-based organization working with the university
• Interns completed a range of tasks, from technical tasks related to research to operations tasks and outreach activities
• Interns work for 25-hours per week for 6 weeks (internships can be extended by 2 weeks)
• Interns participated in department meetings and attended seminars
• Voluntary supervisors and mentors are sought out with supervisors receiving a small stipend and mentors receiving funds for lunch/coffee
• Supervisors and mentors receive training and regular program check-ins
• Some interns are split between supervisors to diversify tasks, balance workload and allow for staff summer vacations
• The program utilizes training materials provided under the University’s Minors Policy and gathers emergency contact information

Funds for the program are provided by donations, internal grants and broader impacts on federal grants.  For 2023, compensation for an 8 week summer internship is estimated at up to $3,200 per intern for Wages and Fringe benefits.

The next call for applications will be announced on this website in late Spring 2023. 

For more information about this program, contact Jason Cervenec (cervenec.1@osu.edu).