Interview Prep: Library Internship — Practice & Mentor Feedback

Student: Mentor: Date:

How to use this worksheet. You may have the chance to interview for an internship with the Queens Public Library. This worksheet helps you get ready by practicing the questions interviewers really ask.

Write your answer to each question in your own words. Use as much of the space as you need — full sentences are best.
Then say your answer out loud to your mentor, like a real interview.
Your mentor fills in the Mentor Feedback box under each answer. Feedback is how you get better — it's not a grade!
Every part has a Clarify hint. Try the question first; read the hint if you get stuck.

PART 1

The Opportunity

Here is the opportunity you are preparing for. Fill in the details you know.

1.Organization: Queens Public Library

2.Role: Library Internship

3.Which library branch is closest to you, or which one might you work at?

Clarify — Queens Public Library has more than 60 branches all over Queens. If you don't know which branch yet, write down the one nearest your home — knowing your local branch is a great thing to mention in an interview.

PART 2

Know the Library

Interviewers love it when you know a little about their organization. What can you find out about Queens Public Library?

4.What does a public library do for the community? (It's more than books! Think: computers, classes, events, homework help…)

5.Have you ever visited a library? What did you see people doing there?

Clarify — If you can, visit your local branch before the interview (or look at queenslibrary.org with your mentor). Notice two or three real things — a program board, the children's room, the computer area. One true detail you saw yourself is worth more than anything memorized.

📚 Library Words to Know

These words may come up in your interview or on the job. Read them with your mentor and circle any that are new to you.

Patron

—

a person who visits or uses the library. Patrons are the library's customers.

Branch

—

one library location. Queens Public Library has branches all across Queens.

Circulation desk

—

the front desk where patrons check books out and return them.

Check out / Return

—

borrowing an item and bringing it back.

Shelving

—

putting returned books back on the shelf in the correct order.

Call number

—

the number-and-letter code on a book's spine that shows exactly where it belongs.

Hold

—

a book a patron reserved. Staff pull holds from the shelves and set them aside.

Reference desk

—

where librarians help patrons find information and answer questions.

Program

—

an event the library runs, like story time, a class, or a club meeting.

Customer service

—

being friendly, patient, and helpful to every patron.

PART 3

Your Skills Match the Library

Library interns help with things like shelving books, keeping the space tidy, setting up for programs, and greeting patrons. Match that to YOU.

6.Which of your past jobs, classes, or experiences used skills a library needs? (Look at your resume together!)

7.Pick one skill from Question 6. Describe a real time you used it.

Clarify — Your resume probably already has library skills on it. Stocking and organizing shelves, putting items back exactly where they belong, and keeping a store or stockroom clean — that is almost exactly what shelving and tidying at a library looks like. Say that connection out loud in your interview!

PART 4

Practice the Interview Questions

These are real questions interviewers ask. Write your answer, say it out loud to your mentor, then your mentor fills in the feedback box. Practice again until both of you are happy with it!

8."Tell me about yourself." (Usually the first question. Keep it to about three sentences: your school, what you're studying or interested in, and what you're looking for.)

Mentor Feedback

Clear Good length Sounded confident Practice again

Mentor initials:

9."Why do you want to intern at Queens Public Library?" (Use your research from Part 2. Show them you know what libraries do and why that matters to you.)

Mentor Feedback

Clear Mentioned the library Sounded genuine Practice again

Mentor initials:

10."What are your strengths?" (Use your answer from Part 3. Name a strength AND give a real example of when you used it.)

Mentor Feedback

Named a strength Gave a real example Good length Practice again

Mentor initials:

11."Tell me about your work experience. What did you do at your last job?" (Describe your tasks and what you learned. Try to connect it to library work — organizing, tidying, helping.)

Mentor Feedback

Described real tasks Connected to the library Clear Practice again

Mentor initials:

12."Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team." (A team at work, at school, or even on a sports team counts. What was your job on the team?)

Mentor Feedback

Told a real story Said their role Clear Practice again

Mentor initials:

13."What would you do if you didn't understand an instruction, or made a mistake?" (There's a great simple answer here: ask for help, and be honest. It's okay to say that!)

Mentor Feedback

Said they'd ask for help Honest tone Clear Practice again

Mentor initials:

14."How would you greet or help a patron who comes up to you?" (Libraries care a lot about friendly customer service. What would you say? What if you didn't know the answer to their question?)

Mentor Feedback

Friendly greeting Knew when to get staff Clear Practice again

Mentor initials:

15."Do you have any questions for us?" (Always say yes! Write one or two questions you could ask about the internship or the library.)

Mentor Feedback

Had a question ready Question fits the library Practice again

Mentor initials:

Clarify — Notice how the parts connect: your library research (Part 2) powers Question 9, and your skills (Part 3) power Questions 10 and 11. If you get stuck on a question, look back at the earlier parts — you already wrote the answer.

📝 Practice My Answer — build "Tell me about yourself" out loud using this frame.

"Hi, my name is . I am a student at , and I'm interested in . I'm looking for an internship where I can use my skill of ."

PART 5

Your Get-Ready Plan

What will you do to get ready for your Queens Public Library interview? Check all that apply, or add your own ideas!

Practice my answers out loud with my mentor.
Visit my local Queens Public Library branch.
Look at queenslibrary.org with my mentor.
Make sure I know the time and place of the interview, and how I'll get there.
Plan what I will wear.
Get a good night's sleep before the interview.

16.Other idea of my own:

Clarify — Don't just check the boxes — pick the one you'll do first and decide when, with a day and a time. Visiting your branch is a great first step: you'll walk into the interview having seen the real thing.

💡 Tips for You: Walking In With Confidence

Practice out loud, not just in your head. Saying your answers to your mentor makes them feel natural when it counts.
It's okay to pause. If you get a hard question, it's fine to say "Let me think about that for a second." A short pause looks thoughtful, not nervous.
Use the library words. Saying "patrons" or "shelving" naturally shows you did your homework.
Bring a question with you. Have Question 15 ready — it's the easiest way to show you're interested.

Reflection

After practicing with your mentor: which answer felt strongest? Which one do you want to practice one more time before the real interview?

FOR MENTOR USE — WORK THROUGH THIS TOGETHER

Mentor Guide

Helping your student prepare for a Queens Public Library internship interview

1. What this worksheet builds

It walks the student from the specific opportunity (a QPL internship) → research → matching their skills → rehearsed, feedback-refined answers → an action plan. The aim isn't a memorized script; it's the confidence of having said the words out loud, gotten feedback, and improved at least once before interview day.

2. Make it concrete: the library itself

If at all possible, visit a Queens Public Library branch together before the interview — or browse queenslibrary.org side by side. Part 2 and Question 9 lean on real details the student noticed themselves.
Read the Library Words to Know box together. Circle unfamiliar terms and use them casually during practice ("Okay, a patron walks up to you…") so they feel normal by interview day.
Connect the student's resume to library tasks explicitly. Stocking and organizing shelves, keeping a space tidy, teamwork — these transfer directly to shelving, holds, and program setup.

3. How to give feedback (the boxes under each answer)

Written first, spoken second. Let the student write, then have them say the answer out loud to you before you fill in the box. You're giving feedback on the spoken answer.
Check what went well first. Tick the positives before writing anything to improve. Keep written comments to one specific, doable thing ("add your stockroom example"), not a list.
"Practice again" is normal, not negative. Frame it as "let's run that one more time" — the second and third run-throughs are where nerves fade.
Initial each box when you're both happy with the answer, so the student can see their progress across the sheet.

4. Run a real mock interview

Once all answers have feedback, play the interviewer: sit across from the student and ask Questions 8–15 in order, in a warm but real-ish tone.
Normalize pausing: model "Let me think for a second" so a silence never feels like failure.
Keep "Tell me about yourself" to about three sentences — gently trim if it runs long.
For Question 14, role-play being a patron. Practice both the friendly greeting and the honest "let me get a staff member who can help you."

5. Close with an action plan

Turn Part 5's checkboxes into commitments — attach a day and time to at least one item, ideally the branch visit.
Cover the practical basics: interview time and place, travel route, what to wear, good rest.
End on the Reflection: celebrate the strongest answer, and schedule one more practice run for the one they picked.

Interview Prep: Queens Public Library

The Opportunity

Know the Library

📚 Library Words to Know

Your Skills Match the Library

Practice the Interview Questions

Your Get-Ready Plan

💡 Tips for You: Walking In With Confidence

Reflection

Mentor Guide

1. What this worksheet builds

2. Make it concrete: the library itself

3. How to give feedback (the boxes under each answer)

4. Run a real mock interview

5. Close with an action plan