Internet Interns

As part of e-Vermont, the Vermont State Colleges connected public libraries in e-Vermont towns with Internet Interns. These student interns worked for 4-8 hours a week, providing one-on-one assistance to patrons to answer their Internet questions as well as collaborating with librarians to design special technology projects. Key lessons learned along the way are listed here.

This program has benefitted everyone involved: libraries can offer help with digital literacy, patrons get individualized assistance, library staff and volunteers can have their own questions answered by the intern, and the interns themselves gain valuable experience as instructors.

The Community College of Vermont and Vermont Department of Libraries coordinated the Internet Interns project for e-Vermont as a pilot in 2011 and 2012. The program was extended an extra semester through an Innovations and Collaborations grant from the Vermont Community Foundation (read more here).

You can read about some of the interns' experiences in the Insights from Internet Interns and More Insights from Internet Interns community stories.

This program took place alongside a range of e-Vermont services. You may also be interested in reading about:

• E-Vermont services from the Vermont State Colleges and Department of Libraries
• Resources to help beginners learn the Internet
• iConnect training program in skills for working with Internet beginners
• Guide to creating & finding public Internet access in your community

The Internet Intern services offered through CCV are currently unavailable pending future funding. If you want to be notified when the program starts again, e-mail info@vtrural.org