San José State University School of Information student Anjali Gulati provided reference services to students in Dubai while living in India, thanks to the virtual internship she completed during spring 2011. The experience allowed her to develop new skills in technology and international librarianship.

San José State University School of Information student Anjali Gulati provided reference services to students in Dubai while living in India, thanks to the virtual internship she completed during spring 2011. The experience allowed her to develop new skills in technology and international librarianship.

“I applied for the virtual internship at the Dubai Women’s College Library because I teach at a women’s college in India, and I have experience working with and mentoring young female students,” Gulati explained. “I’m also interested in international librarianship and working with students from diverse backgrounds.”

Gulati enrolled at the iSchool in fall 2008 while living in the United States, but didn’t seek a professional internship because she and her husband moved frequently for work. After returning to India, “I considered interning at a local library, but I didn’t feel I could learn as much or have the kinds of experiences I wanted in that environment,” Gulati explained.

Gulati found the perfect internship opportunity at the Dubai Women’s College (DWC), one of the Higher Colleges of Technology campuses in the United Arab Emirates. During her internship, her main focus was to provide virtual reference services by creating online pathfinders and subject guides on a variety of topics using the LibGuides knowledge sharing system.

“All of the students speak English as their second language, so the LibGuides had to have plenty of visual cues and images, and avoid using technical vocabulary,” Gulati said. Over the course of the semester Gulati researched and developed a guide on health and nutrition for students specializing in that field, and reader’s advisory guides on graphic novels and women’s health and maternity.

Gulati’s entire internship took place virtually. She was initially interviewed by a panel of three librarians at DWC via a web conference, and she received email guidance from her iSchool faculty advisor Dr. Bill Fisher. Gulati communicated with her DWC supervisor using Google Chat.

The internship gave Gulati the chance to research new reference sources, develop her online communication skills, and refine her writing skills. She was also pleased to receive positive feedback on her LibGuides from students.

Gulati earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in library and information science in India and has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in the field for more than ten years. In 2007 she moved to the United States with her husband but discovered that she couldn’t continue her career in a US library until she had an MLIS from an ALA-accredited school.

Because our school’s MLIS program is fully online, Gulati chose to return to her teaching position in India while she completed her degree. She’s currently an associate professor and head of the department of library and information science at the Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow. She also serves as a standing committee member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Asia and Oceania Section. She’s published more than 20 papers and articles, including her LIBR 200 research paper, which appeared in the December 2010 issue of IFLA Journal.

Gulati anticipates graduating from iSchool in spring 2012. She’s interested in returning to the United States but is also inspired to support the growing profession of library and information science in India. “I would like to start a training program for the new generation of Indian librarians to share the ideas and developments I’ve learned in the iSchool program and contribute to the profession in my country in a meaningful way,” Gulati said.