The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has had requests for more detail on industry placement processes by some educators seeking guidance on best practice principles in industry placements. This document provides best practice guidelines for organising industry placements.
An industry placement provides an opportunity for students undertaking an ALIA accredited course to apply library and information science (LIS) theory and skills in an appropriately supervised practical professional industry environment. Professional experience is an essential requirement for students undertaking an ALIA accredited course at the diploma level. It is an expectation that every student graduating from an ALIA accredited course has completed the minimum industry placement at an appropriate professional level. Industry placement is not an opportunity for a host organisation to acquire free labour but an opportunity for the host to support the next generation of LIS professionals gain valuable professional experience. An industry placement is also different from a student volunteering for an organisation as an industry placement is formally and legally linked to the education provider and is an assessable part of an ALIA accredited course.
This document is superceded by "ALIA Guidelines for Industry Placement: Diploma of Library and Information Services" (2023)
