Coaching Intern Supervisors for Success

A successful internship program provides opportunities for “real-world” professional goal-setting, experiences, and active reflection on accomplishments. Intern supervisors play a pivotal role for internships, with opportunities to counsel, ignite a love for the profession, and create an inclusive culture that builds a more diverse workforce. Though internships are entry-level by nature and require specialized skills and focused attention on training, mentoring, and feedback, intern supervisor training is often overlooked. The Arizona State University (ASU) Library Internship program provides a case study for a multi-faceted understanding of how the potentials and principles of coaching best meet the needs of intern supervisors.