Job Opening Title: 20th-Century Military Collections Archival Processing Internship
Institution/Organization Name: State Archives of North Carolina
Job Location (City, State, Province, Country): Raleigh, NC
Application Deadline: April 17, 2015
Years of experience required: 0-1
20th-Century Military Collections Archival Processing Internship
Project Description
The Military Collection of the State Archives of North Carolina, located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, will be reprocessing all 20th-century military records in its holdings. This constitutes over 250 linear feet of materials. The project’s goal is to physically reprocess and weed out unneeded materials; re-house, re-label and number all boxes and folders; verify and research materials’ provenance; and describe using EAD-based finding aids each individual collection within the WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Gulf War military records. All records formats—including private letters, county and state military materials, war correspondence, photographs, maps, oversized documents, posters, and other materials—will be involved in this reprocessing effort. This is an on-going processing project to begin in February 2015, with an anticipated intern start date for the project to begin between May 18, 2015-June 22, 2015. Internships are unpaid.
The project will involve working with multiple preservation issues for multiple formats of original materials dating to the U.S.-Mexican Border War (1910-1919); choosing multiple archival enclosures and storage options; creation of metadata; writing historical biographies or military unit histories; reformatting deteriorating materials; working with the State Archives’ Photo Unit to transfer hard copy audiovisual and oversized materials to digital formats; working with incoming donations, and learning to work with donors by observing the Military Collection Archivist; and working with the Military Collection Archivist to determine whether materials currently in the 20th-century military records match the new Military Collection collection policy.
The intern(s) will work with the Military Collection Archivist on rights’ issues with collections and archival materials. The project will work to select individual materials and collections for digitization. The project will also determine materials needing conservation work, and the intern will work with the Military Collection Archivist to determine preservation enclosures for the materials receiving conservation treatment. Intern(s) will gain experience describing archival materials using Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS), and will assist the Military Collection Archivist cataloging military records in the State Archives’ new catalog system APPX AXAEM.
The project will move quickly in order to balance the responsibilities of the Military Collection with other on-going projects, and is expected to be completed by June 2018. The intern(s) will be required to work between a minimum of 8-16 hours per week in the Military Collection Archivist’s office. A minimum internship length for this project is 3 months, with a maximum internship length of 1 year for a single intern.
The intern(s) will be based in the Military Collection Archivist office in the State Archives of North Carolina, within the Special Collections Section. Archival storage and handling materials, up-to-date computers, scanners, audio-editing software, and general office equipment will be provided by the Military Collection Archivist. Archival processing training and supervision will also be provided by the Military Collection Archivist.
Required Education, Skills, and Qualifications
The ideal candidate(s) will be pursuing a graduate degree in public history, library science, digital curation or preservation, or archival studies. Preference will be given to first or second-year graduate students. Experience or entry-level education in archival theory and practice is required. The project requires someone with an undergraduate degree with classwork in world and American history, preferably a history degree or some experience with oral histories.
This internship will serve as a professional development opportunity for a first or second-year graduate student in public history, library science, digital preservation, or archival studies. Interns wishing to use the internship for graduate credit can work with the State Archives to coordinate this with their graduate program.
The project requires someone capable of making quick decisions, working independently and under direct supervision, following specific departmental work standards (i.e. archival processing steps), and who can maintain confidentiality (as some of the records contain restricted service records of military veterans). The project requires someone with advanced computer skills. Experience with various audio formats and/or digital audio editing is preferred. The intern(s) will be required to have their own mode of transportation, and maintain a regular schedule (which can be negotiated around the intern’s academic schedule) with the Military Collection Archivist.
How to apply
Please send (in a Word document or PDF document) a cover letter (2 pages max.) discussing the reason for your interest in this internship and your experience related to the project qualifications; a short resume (4 pages max.), and contact information for three references to:
Matthew M. Peek, Military Collection Archivist
State Archives of North Carolina
Email: matthew.peek(at)ncdcr.gov (please title email subject as “20thMilColl Internship App”)
Phone: (919) 807-7314
Only applications sent by email will be reviewed for this position.
Applications will be accepted from March 23, 2015, through April 17, 2015, with review of applications beginning on a rolling basis starting March 23, 2015. Applicants will be notified whether they have been received the internship or not by 6 P.M. on April 29, 2015. Start dates and work days will be negotiated with the Military Collection Archivist.
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