Seiler Library Internship, Cataloging Dept. (Summer 2022), The American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, MA
Posted December 6, 2021
Description:
The American Antiquarian Society is a learned society and national research library dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing access to the printed record of the United States through 1876. The Society’s collections are used by scholars, students, creative and performing artists, and writers in many fields studying and working with American history and culture.
Internship Stipend:
- Stipend for 12 weeks: $8,400 to be paid in three installments, at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the internship.
- Relocation allowance, to and from Worcester: a maximum of $1,000.
- Conference attendance fees and related travel (if necessary), will be covered.
Hours: 35 hours/week; Monday-Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Housing: A room in AAS Scholars’ Housing, either next door or across a residential street from the library, is included in the internship at no cost. By the start of the internship, the Seiler Intern must be at least 21 years of age and have proof of COVID vaccination to reside in AAS Scholars’ Housing.
Internship Description:
The Seiler Cataloging Internship is an opportunity to explore librarianship by working at a national research library, participating in its daily activities, completing library-based projects, and beginning to develop a network of contacts in the field.
The work will primarily focus on how materials are added to the Society’s collections and described in its online catalog so that library users can find and access them.
The Seiler Intern will learn:
- How library materials are acquired, processed, and organized on the shelves
- How cataloging standards to describe materials are created and used
- How readers search for and use different library materials
- How to care for and handle rare materials in a special collections environment
The Seiler Intern will work closely with the Head of Acquisitions and the Cataloging Initiatives Librarian, who will be their supervisor.
During their internship, the intern will learn how to process, describe, and catalog nineteenth-century books and pamphlets. By the end of the internship, they will have used the MARC format to catalog a selection of materials relating to the life and art of Alexander Anderson, a 19th-century illustrator and engraver. In addition, the intern will sit in on departmental meetings as well as collection development meetings with the Society’s curatorial team to learn the process of how AAS chooses what to acquire.
They will also undertake an additional cataloging project, which may be determined by their skills, knowledge, and interests in conjunction with the Society’s collections and priorities. For example, an intern interested in music or 19th-century popular culture might work with the Songsters Collection; an intern with knowledge of a language or languages in addition to English might work with relevant materials across the Society’s collections; an intern interested in the history of New York City might work with the Local History Collection.
The Seiler Intern will have the opportunity to talk with AAS staff who have a variety of duties across the Society, from creating programs to curating collections to photographing materials; to visit, either virtually or in person, other libraries; and to attend a national conference with AAS colleagues.
The Seiler Cataloging Internship is a residential internship, and the Seiler Intern will live in AAS Scholars’ Housing. This will allow them to participate in Society events and to build relationships with other members of the Society’s community, including researchers and other summer staff in various departments at the Society.
Internship Qualifications:
Candidates will be interested in exploring librarianship and information science but not yet enrolled in a Master of Library and Information Science (or equivalent) graduate studies program, and their cover letter should explicitly talk about their interest in librarianship.
Candidates must have either an associate’s or bachelor’s degree (in any field) or an anticipated graduation date by Dec. 31, 2022. The Society invites applications from people who may come to the internship from a diversity of paths, including, but not limited to: a rising senior or recent graduate exploring potential career paths; someone in a graduate studies program other than library and information science (or equivalent field); someone in the workforce or re-entering the workforce contemplating a career change.
How to Apply:
To read the full description and apply online, visit:
https://american-antiquarian-society.breezy.hr/p/5f3142932590
APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 31, 2022