School of Information and Library Science
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

INLS 299
PROFESSIONAL FIELD EXPERIENCE

There are a number of individuals involved in the student’s professional field experience. Section V addresses each individual’s responsibilities.

Student	The field experience is a specifically designed learning experience for the student. Although the SILS Faculty Advisor, the SILS Faculty Supervisor, the FE Site Supervisor and the SILS FE Faculty Coordinator all have responsibilities, the primary responsibility for the success of the FE rests with the student.
Faculty Advisor	The permanently assigned Faculty Advisor for the student's program of study in the School of Information and Library Science.
Faculty Supervisor	The SILS faculty member assigned to an FE student for the duration of the FE for advising, overseeing and evaluating the student. Every effort will be made to match the professional expertise of the Faculty Supervisor with the needs and professional goals of the student, especially as they relate to this particular field experience.
FE Site Supervisor	The person in the sponsoring site chosen to work with, advise and evaluate the field work student. This individual is nornally an information professional.
Seminar Leader	The SILS faculty member appointed by the dean to conduct the required seminars. Leads discussions concerning the specific work assignments of the students in the seminar and the relationship of the experiences to theories of information/library science.
FE Faculty Coordinator	The liaison between the school, the site, the student and the Faculty Supervisor, responsible for administering and coordinating the FE program as a whole.

The Basic Steps: Getting Started

Below is a list of initial steps the student takes in order to begin the field experience process. Sections VI through X of these policies will give more detailed procedures and explanations.

1. Student thoroughly reads online guidelines to decide whether a field experience will augment their program of study.
2. Student attends information session in the semester before the FE placement.
3. Student prints FE forms.
4. Student consults with Faculty Advisor.
5. Student meets with FE Coordinator during office hours to identify a site, if help is needed.
6. Faculty Advisor approves the Site Intention Statement. Upon receipt of the completed Site Intention Statement, the FE Coordinator requests the Student Services Manager to register the student for INLS 299.
7. Student meets with the Site Supervisor to complete the Field Experience Agreement (FEA), which the Site Supervisor must sign.
8. The student is assigned a Faculty Supervisor (must be a member of SILS’s full-time faculty by the FE Coordinator. The Faculty Supervisor signs the completed FEA.
9. The FEA, with all required signatures, is turned in to the FE Coordinator’s mailbox.