Left to Right: Katie Macomber, Casey Long, J Thomas, Chris Bishop

By J Thomas

Who will lead the libraries of tomorrow? The future of the library profession depends on attracting, preparing, and retaining the next generation of librarians. Subsequently, the librarians of today can take an active role in attracting talented young people towards librarianship. Emory University and Agnes Scott College’s collaboration to offer Agnes Scott undergraduate students internships in a larger academic library started in 2023 and is already in its fourth year.

At Agnes Scott, students with good GPA standings and faculty recommendations can apply for an Advantage Award, a $2,000 to $4,000 award that provides financial assistance during a student’s unpaid or underpaid internship. Agnes Scott’s McCain Library doesn’t only take interns that express interest in librarianship but helps them find internships in other Atlanta area academic libraries. In the last four years, Agnes Scott interns worked at the Emory University Woodruff and Law Library, Georgia State University Special Collections and Law Library, and the Georgia Tech Library, giving them exposure to different areas of librarianship. 

Emory’s Woodruff Library Resource Description team offers Agnes Scott interns opportunities to experience cataloging and metadata practices. One of Emory's goals includes selecting projects that are important for interns’ learning, impactful for the Emory Libraries, and show the role of cataloging as a public service. 

English Literature major Lily Brickmeier reflected on her internship at Emory in 2025 where she was tasked with cataloging Elton John’s extensive photography book collection: “I had just as much opportunity to learn something new and gain valuable experience through the library tours we went on in which we met a vast array of librarians as I did working in cataloging.” 

Additionally, English Literature and History major J Thomas reflected on their 2026 internship where they were tasked with evaluating a new AI tool and creating entity cards for Emory faculty using the new catalog interface and Wikidata: “The experience I’ve gained with cataloging, data—really everything that goes into technical services work—will be invaluable when I begin my job hunt. This work is what makes the library accessible." 

This experience benefits everyone in a connected web. Students gain experience in their desired profession: building their hard skills and learning what kind of work they personally like to steer their career goals. Past interns are already seeing these effects: Mia McCown, who also worked on Elton John’s collection, has started library school, and Paxton Martin, who added new subject headings to Emory’s catalog in order to remediate harmful language, accepted a position with Kennesaw State University after recently receiving her MLIS. Emory gains new insights for their work and Agnes receives students the following fall that have fresh new skills to bring to McCain. Everyone leaves the summer brand new, making McCain, Woodruff, and the interns’ future libraries stronger along the way! 

Thank you to Agnes Scott librarians Casey Long and Christopher Bishop for their proactive searching for internships for students. Their care for students makes all the difference in enriching our college experience and preparing future librarians.

To learn more about the Emory University Libraries, go to https://libraries.emory.edu/

To learn more about Agnes Scott College, go to https://www.agnesscott.edu/library/index.html