Enhancement of Library Internship Reflecting Participants’ Opinions based on Activity Theory

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify contradictions in library internship, and address them. As a case study, students who were enrolled in the internship class opened in the 2016 fall semester in a university in Seoul were interviewed. Through applying Activity Theory, the process of internship and contradictions presented in its process were analyzed. The findings indicate that students were satisfied with their internship experience. The internship experience also makes positive impacts on students in terms of understanding the library and information science and deciding their future career as a librarian. Such contradictions as internship duration, operation of the internship process, level of participation or practice, and overlap of part-time experience in a library were identified. This study suggests to make the internship systematic in order to address the contradictions through that all parties in internship are actively participated in internship and that they share information related with the internship.