GOAL: To provide MLIS students with enhanced experience pertinent to their future careers while also working as paid part-time library assistants at the Plainsboro Public Library. The ELF program will better position these future MLIS graduates to gain librarian positions with quarterly mentorship in different areas of hands-on library work while manning a public library desk. MLIS students can opt into the program at any time after being hired as Library Assistants at the Plainsboro Public Library.

A successful ELF program will produce future MLIS graduates who can confidently say they have performed collection development, notary service, event programming, and report generation at a minimum in their first librarian job interview. They will also gain experience in the operation of a fine-free public library across a variety of departments outside of their library assistant position.

Components of the ELF Program:

Library Assistant Staff in MLIS programs who enter the Plainsboro Public Library’s ELF Program will initially take an intake survey to determine their current career plan post-MLIS degree to better determine which department heads will be their mentors.

On a quarterly basis, starting a month after initial training at their service desk (Circulation, Reference, Youth Services, or Technical Services), ELF staff will be rotated through key areas of the library pertinent to their future careers; this enhanced experience will generally take up 2-4 hours per work week. They will receive one-on-one mentorship in areas of the library, focused on the following:

• Q1: Collection Development (Youth Services or Adult Services)
  • The appropriate department head mentor will assign a subcollection to the ELF staff, provide the Collection Development Policy for review, and train them on using Baker and Taylor 360, our primary book ordering platform.
  • They will be given a budget for their 3 months of collection development, and assemble carts to be ordered, with review and coaching by their mentor.
• Q2: Notary Services (Reference)
  • The library will provide training, notary license, and equipment for notary services to ELF staff.
  • Staff mentors will review the limited notary service that many public libraries provide, and the Plainsboro Public Library’s Notary Policy in specific.
  • After a period of shadowing a staff notary, ELF staff will perform basic notary service with mentors and library notary staff
• Q3: Report Generation (Youth Services or Adult Services)
  • For collections developed in Q1, the same mentor will oversee report generation for collection usage, weeding, and other library-focused uses.
  • Creating and presenting such reports visually via graphs, charts, etc. will be reviewed with the staff mentor.
• Q4: Events and Programming
  • Based on career plans, match ELF staff with the appropriate mentor.
  • Shadow mentor and other programming staff in event planning, preparation, publicity, and presentation.
  • Actively engage in event support and event presentations with mentor staff.
• Q5: Strategic Thinking
  • As available, ELF staff will be involved in projects that will add to their library experience and incorporate prior ELF program mentorship; these will be engaged with when possible.
    • Strategic Planning
    • Special Projects/Emergent Opportunities
    • Community Outreach
    • Grant Writing
    • Proposals and Funding

Additionally, Plainsboro Public Library will be an Enhanced Institutional Member organization within the New Jersey Library Association starting January 1st, 2023, and all ELF staff will thus be NJLA members at no cost to them.

After completing the ELF Program, an exit survey will be used to gauge its impact and gain feedback on the program.

ELF staff can expect a positive reference from the library noting their participation in the program, assuming no issues during the ELF program and their regular library assistant work.

For questions regarding the ELF program, please contact Library Director Darren Miguez (dmiguez@plainsborolibrary.org)