Graduate Student Internships at EPA and NIEHS

The Library

The EPA Library in Research Triangle Park (EPA-RTP) is one of twenty-eight libraries in the EPA National Library Network and is the only EPA library staffed under contract by university employees. The EPA-RTP Main Library supports the research needs of approximately 2,000 scientists working in the five laboratories that make up the EPA-RTP campus. The library's collection is broad and reflects the varied needs of the range of patrons that comprise the library's client base. Major areas of collection development include: biomedical and toxicological information; physics, chemistry, and engineering resources; legislative and regulatory publications; and limited business and computer resources. The collection includes subscriptions to more than 400 journals, over 240 electronic journals; paper copies of over 11,000 documents, including the "450" and "600" series of EPA publications; microfiche copies of 150,000 EPA documents; and the historic APTIC file of over 85,000 items related to air pollution.

The Rotations

Online searching interns perform in-depth database searching for EPA-RTP researchers. The searching interns become proficient with using scientific Dialog databases such as Medline, Biosis, Chemical Abstracts, and many more. Other activities of the rotation include maintaining departmental records and statistics and managing the library's Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) alerting service. Online searching interns have the opportunity to develop proficiency using the special syntax and commands of the Dialog search language, as well as to explore the various search engines available on the World Wide Web.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) interns coordinate the delivery of resources and materials requested internally by EPA staff and externally by cooperating libraries. Day-to-day responsibilities include processing incoming patron requests for article reprints and monograph loans, searching for items and requesting them via the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), requesting items through the National Library of Medicine's Docline service, and electronic delivery of articles via Ariel.
Interlibrary Loan interns are also responsible for verifying incomplete or incorrect citations using a variety of search tools including resources such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Agricola, Biosis Previews, Energy Science and Technology, Environmental Bibliography, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, and Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI). The interlibrary loan rotation provides interns with an introduction to the EPA-RTP collection; and interns also gain familiarity with common resources such as the library's online catalog (OLS), OCLC, Docline, and CLIO.

The Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) Library Services intern is responsible for providing library services to the staff of OAQPS. The intern assists patrons in many different areas, including reference and interlibrary loan, and is primarily responsible for guiding OAQPS-produced materials through the EPA document publication process. This includes conferring with OAQPS researchers about explanations or clarifications regarding the EPA's current publication guidelines and providing examples and templates for researchers to utilize in the preparation of documents for publication. Additionally, interns assign EPA document numbers for OAQPS-produced documents and distribute completed documents to other EPA libraries, the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP), National Technical Information Service (NTIS), and the Government Printing Office.

Reference interns are responsible for providing assistance with the many resources available in the library. While developing expertise in the provision of reference services within a scientific special library, interns gain familiarity with a multitude of print and online reference tools. As the first point of contact for EPA staff and public patrons via phone, email, or in-person, reference interns respond to a variety of queries ranging from environmental questions to requests for specific EPA-produced documents. Reference interns also provide informal training on the use of library databases and EPA online resources.

Cataloging interns are afforded a great opportunity to gain invaluable experience in both copy and original cataloging of materials that are added to the library's collection. Interns perform original cataloging for EPA technical documents, state agency reports and documents, international organization documents, dissertations, and, on occasion, monographs. Cataloging interns utilize OCLC's newest cataloging platform, Connexion, as well as the EPA's online catalog (OLS), and the library's circulation system on a daily basis.