Acquisitions Internship
Brooklyn Historical Society seeks an Acquisitions Intern to assist with the creation of complete accession records for recent acquisitions; prepare incoming collections for Collection Committee review/approval; and prepare the deeds of gift for formal addition to the collection at Brooklyn Historical Society. This is an opportunity to engage in the early stages of archival management with incoming collections: to correspond with donors and consider intellectual property issues in a research environment prior to processing and access.
Candidates must have taken at least one course in archival concepts, or be enrolled in an archival course during their first semester of the internship to be eligible for the position.
The intern will be supervised by Julie May, Head of Collection Management. This is a Spring semester internship with the possibility of extension. A minimum of 2 days/week is required beginning as early as January 5, 2015.
Responsibilities:
Assist with the management of incoming collections from acquisition through processing including:
· Perform basic rehousing and minimal description or inventorying.
· Modify templated deeds of gifts, taking into consideration the specifics of individual collections and donor specifications.
· Complete the physical and electronic accession record with necessary documentation, collection inventory, and location designation.
· Manage incoming born-digital collections; transfer files to secure server.
Required Qualifications:
Significant coursework towards the completion of a Masters in Library and Information Science with a specialization in archival studies and completion of an archival description courses.
Demonstrated understanding of archival collections and principles of arrangement and description.
Effective oral and written communication skills; ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
Strong organization and time-management skills; attention to accuracy and detail is essential
Ability to bend, reach, and lift boxes or volumes weighing up to 40 lbs.
Preferred Qualifications:
Previous experience working with CMS and ILS systems; preferably Archivists’ Toolkit.
Previous archival processing and description experience, including an understanding of pragmatic and efficient processing procedures.
Previous experience or knowledge about intellectual property issues in primary and secondary resource collections.
Knowledge or interest in Brooklyn history.
Compensation:
This is an unpaid internship that can be used for course credit, and includes a BHS staff ID, which grants free entrance to museums around New York City.
To Apply:
Those enrolled in an ALA-accredited library program should post a cover letter and resume to library(at)brooklynhistory.org. The subject line of the email should read: Acquisitions Internship [last name]. Interviews will commence immediately. No phone calls please.
The Brooklyn Historical Society is dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by federal or state law.