Ask a Librarian Internship Program

The Ask A Librarian Internship provides currently-enrolled Library & Information Science students with hands-on experience in academic librarianship. Interns will receive training and support from a librarian supervisor in order to assist users through the Ask A Librarian chat reference service. Additionally, interns will work in collaboration with their supervisor to conduct a project, such as designing and delivering a workshop session, creating a research guide, or processing special collections. Interns will be matched with a project based on their interests, experience, and project availability. 

The Ask A Librarian Internship Program seeks to provide meaningful working experiences that relate to the goals and interests of the intern. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Library & Information Science students are highly encouraged to apply.

Applications are not being accepted at this time. Applications for the Fall 2025/Spring 2026 internship will open in mid-July 2025, and this page will be updated with more information at that time.

The internship will be conducted remotely. Interns residing in the New York City area will have the option to conduct project work at Columbia University’s Morningside Campus if desired.

$25/hour

The schedule is an average time commitment of 14 hours per week, but varies week to week. It includes nine hours of chat reference staffing during evenings and/or weekends, and up to five hours of working on a project. Evening and weekend chat reference hours include Monday-Friday 5pm to 8pm, and Saturday-Sunday 12pm to 6pm (Eastern Time Zone). There is some flexibility in scheduling, and interns are encouraged to swap chat reference shifts with one another as needed.

  • Provide research assistance to Columbia University students, faculty, staff, alumni, and external researchers through the Ask A Librarian chat reference service
  • Conduct a project with the guidance of a librarian supervisor
  • Meet with librarian supervisor once per week
  • Participate in monthly all-group internship meetings

No projects are available at this time.

  • Must be enrolled in a Master of Library Science (MLS) or equivalent program during participation in the internship
  • Demonstrated effective communication skills
  • Interest or demonstrated ability to provide high quality research assistance
  • Ability to work evenings and/or weekends (5-8pm Monday-Friday and 12-6pm Saturday-Sunday, Eastern Time Zone)

Applicants must reside in the United States to be eligible for consideration.

Applications are not being accepted at this time. Applications for the Fall 2025/Spring 2026 internship will open in mid-July 2025, and this page will be updated with more information at that time.

Please contact the Internship Coordinators at AskALibrarianInternship@library.columbia.edu.