Student Internships

The Woman’s Collection offers semester long internships during the academic year. While internships are unpaid, interns are eligible for academic credit for their work. Interested students are required to work with their advisor to register for the appropriate course. 

Interns will work on projects selected by the Director of Special Collections and in accordance with the established processing priorities. Although staff will attempt to assign projects within an intern’s area of interest, assignments are not guaranteed. Intern projects will involve materials specifically relating to women and may include increasing access to collections through the arrangement and description of collections using accepted archival practices and techniques. Interns can expect to acquire significant knowledge about the Woman’s Collection and its holdings, archival practices, and their practical application to primary source materials.

Available Projects for the Spring and Fall semesters include:

1. Archival interns will work with manuscript collections to arrange, describe, preserve, and make available manuscript collections. Archival interns will process and describe archival collections with direction from staff. Interns will gain valuable work experience with all aspects of archival processing. Some work with digitization is possible. 
2. Preservation interns will work to preserve photographs, clothing, textiles, artifacts, and ephemera. Interns will learn the basics of archival repair and dismantling of scrapbooks and other paper materials, including stabilization, rehousing, and environmental monitoring.
3. Digital interns will scan images, scrapbooks, documents, and catalogs as part of the Woman’s Collection mission to make archival collections accessible online. Interns will use digital technologies to create and enhance electronic access to our collections. Potential projects include digitization of documents and images, creation of metadata for existing digital collections, research on copyright issues for archival and manuscript materials, or digitization of audio and video materials in a variety of formats.

Best Qualified Candidates will:

• Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program.
• Be able to lift and carry up to 35 pounds.
• Have basic level research skills using databases, online catalogs, and accessing information online. 

Requirements:

1. Interns must be available to work from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday.
2. The Woman’s Collection’s requires interns to work a minimum of 12 hours a week.
3. Interns are required to work a minimum 3 hour shift. 
4. All interns will be supervised by the Director of Special Collections.

The number of available internship opportunities during a given semester is determined by the number of available projects. Because the nature of archival work is detail-oriented, interns need to allow themselves time to thoroughly complete the process of organizing, digitizing, and preserving collections. Many of the tasks required when working with archival materials cannot be rushed. Interns need to have the time to thoughtfully construct metadata and finding aids that are researcher-friendly.

Interested applicants should consult with their advisor or their internship liaison in their departments to discuss an opportunity with the Woman’s Collection. The Director of Special Collections will contact you to set up a mutually convenient time for an in-person interview.

• This internship is unpaid.
• If you are seeking a graduate assistantship, visit both the Graduate Assistants and Career Connections sites.
• If you are seeking staff employment, visit the Staff Employment site.

For more information contact:

Kimberly L. Johnson
Director, Special Collections
Woman’s Collection
WASP Archive
University Archives and Rare Books
940-898-3743
Kjohnson27@twu.edu