Toronto Academic Libraries Internship (TALint)


TALint program overview

The TALint program begin in 2014 and is a partnership between the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL), with the Faculty of Information. TALint is an internship program – TALint stands for the Toronto Academic Libraries Internship and it provides 30 Faculty of Information students with the opportunity to participate in a two-year paid internship at one of UTL’s 17 Central libraries. Students are guaranteed 15 hours per week for the duration of their program.

 

TALint is also rich with mentorship opportunities; it is an immersive experience. At the outset of the program, there is a session about learning agendas. Learning agendas are intentional plans students are encouraged to develop, where they articulate their goals and what they hope to get out of the program. The students often share these plans with their supervisors, so that the supervisors can develop the most meaningful experiences possible.

 

As of 2022-2023, there are three vacancies allocated specifically for Black and/or Indigenous students.

 

Why are we doing this? 

Librarianship is a predominately white profession – at UTL we know this and need to intentionally and proactively find ways to diversify it. We are working to create opportunities for people who have not traditionally been encouraged to think of libraries as a place to have a career. This is an essential goal for several reasons: it’s quite simply, the right thing to do as we work to correct inequities. Second, our libraries can only be strengthened and thrive by increasing its diversity, making space for different voices and opinions about our services, spaces and collections. Multiple perspectives challenge the status quo, they help us learn, unlearn and find solutions creatively. Lastly, we want our staff to reflect the thousands of faculty and students who come to us from all over the world. Our spaces need to be welcoming to all.

 

Why are we focusing on Black and/or Indigenous students, in particular?

Because we know from University data this is where we particularly lack representation and have failed to make opportunities available. According to the University’s most recent Report on Employment Equity 2021, and its labour availability analysis, our librarian population is below where it both could and should be in terms of representation from Racialized or Persons of Colour and Indigenous or Aboriginal People of North America. Additionally, the University’s Anti-Black Racism Work Force Final Report, particularly encouraged us to improve representation from Black Librarians in its recommendation.

To align with the commitments we made in our UTL Anti-Racism Statement and in our Strategic Plan, we therefore welcome and encourage Black and Indigenous students to apply for these three TALint positions and scholarships.

“UTL and the TALint program will provide interns the opportunity to not only enhance the quality of their learning, but also strengthen the profession by creating future leaders who will meet the complexities inherent in the libraries, archives, and records management fields,” says Professor Wendy Duff.

 

We welcome your interest in the program. Should you have inquiries, please contact: Montserrat Aguanno, UTL Human Resources, montserrat.aguanno@utoronto.ca

 

Eligibility Requirements

  • Applications to TALint must be incoming full-time MI students starting in September following the application period.
  • Must have submitted all supporting documents to the MI program via the Online Graduate Admissions Application Portal by February 8.
  • All eligible candidates will be notified by email. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted

 

2024-2026 TALint Postings (Round 2 two) – Deadline to apply is March 26 @ 11:59 pm

Bora Laskin Law Library – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

Collection Development Department – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

Dentistry Library – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

East Asian Library – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

Eberhard Ziedler Library – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

Engineering and Computer Science Library – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

Gerstein Science Information Centre – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

OISE Library – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

Scholars Portal – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026

UTARMS – TALint Posting – (1st Year Student) – 2024-2026