Directed Fieldwork

The MLIS program is a globally-recognized program that educates students for careers and leadership roles in the library and information professions. The Information School faculty recognizes that education must extend beyond the formal classroom, and thus we encourage students to participate in learning situations. Through opportunities such as Directed Fieldwork (DFW), the MLIS program provides students with the professional skills, experiences and orientation necessary and appropriate for entry-level positions.

What is Directed Fieldwork?
Directed Fieldwork historically has been one of the iSchool’s most popular courses; it is designed to provide MLIS students with a structured opportunity to gain practical experience in a library or information science setting. A credit/no-credit elective course, Directed Fieldwork (LIS 590) typically takes places on a quarterly basis (10-12 weeks) for either 100, 150, or 200 total hours. MLIS students, in collaboration with their supervisor/mentor, must decide which number of credits/hours is appropriate for the particular situation and quarter. MLIS students must also have completed 30 credits within the MLIS degree and must attend a DFW Information Session prior to starting a Directed Fieldwork.

Directed Fieldwork allows students to apply concepts and practices learned in coursework as they assist in professional-level work under the formal guidance from a qualified supervisor/mentor. Students typically pursue tasks and projects that constitute professional-level (beginning professional level) work. In addition, since fieldwork is meant to be a learning opportunity for students, DFW tasks usually involve skills and knowledge that the student has already begun to develop through coursework but for which the student has not yet developed a high level of expertise.

Directed Fieldwork Information Sessions:
MLIS students interested in pursuing Directed Fieldwork must attend an information session at least one quarter prior to setting up the fieldwork. The following sessions are for both residential and distance students:   

If you are unable to attend a DFW information session but would still like to pursue a DFW, please contact the MLIS Academic Advisor, Marie Potter, at mardup@washington.edu.

Benefits of Directed Fieldwork for Students:

• Gaining practical experience using information skills
• Applying theoretical knowledge
• Networking, interacting, and communicating with professionals
• Developing a professional identity and self-awareness
• Becoming aware of employment opportunities
• Experiencing an information setting consistent with professional goals
• Experiencing an information setting that is new and different
• Providing service to others
• Pursuing an individual interest in a subject specialty
• Testing theoretical concerns against reality
• Understanding the role of the sponsoring site within the community
• Developing a professional identity and self-awareness

To set up a Directed Fieldwork, please refer to the Directed Fieldwork Student Checklist and Directed Fieldwork Policies and Forms.

Host Sites:
Fieldwork experiences include both time-honored traditions and the dynamic growth and change currently occurring in the library and information professions. The range of settings and opportunities available to our students through Directed Fieldwork has expanded dramatically in recent years and includes wide-ranging options from archives to corporate libraries, from reference and technical services to database development, and from web design to working with children and youth. Settings have included some of the country’s leading-edge corporations as well as public and academic libraries, government agency libraries, historical societies, newspaper and television stations collections, and K-12 school libraries. Geographic locations for DFW have ranged from the Puget Sound and Pacific Northwest areas to New York, Georgia, Washington, D.C., Australia, and Europe.