Job Opening Title: 50th Anniversary Exhibit Intern
Institution/Organization Name: George Mason University – Special Collections Research Center
Job Location (City, State, Province, Country): Fairfax, VA
Application Deadline: December 20, 2017
Link to job posting:
Years of experience required: 0 – 1
Job Description (if URL to posting not available). Please include instructions for how to apply.: George Mason University’s Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) is offering an unpaid, for-credit internship during the spring of 2018. Located on Mason’s Fairfax, VA campus in Fenwick Library, SCRC houses thousands of linear feet of archival collections and rare books, including manuscript collections and the University Archives, with the following collecting strengths: Virginia, Northern Virginia, and Washington DC history, the performing arts, transportation and planning, conflict analysis resolution, and US politics and government among others. SCRC is also home to a robust Oral History Program, dedicated to documenting the histories of individuals from the George Mason community and beyond.
The Project
The University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) is joining the Mason Alumni Association and other university offices in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of George Mason’s First Graduating Class. A series of events commemorating this anniversary will take place during the spring of 2018, culminating in a major event at the Eagle Bank Arena in May.
To help commemorate the anniversary, the University Libraries will be mounting an exhibition in the SCRC exhibition area in Fenwick 2400. The intern will be working closely with SCRC staff to conceive and create this exhibition. The intern will conduct archival research and select images from SCRC and other George Mason University outlets (i.e. George Mason University Creative Services) for presentation in the exhibition. He or she will digitize materials (as necessary) and compile appropriate descriptive metadata for each item and prepare exhibit text for the group of items for the physical exhibition. This exhibition will also be presented in a digital format. The intern will help curate the digital site.
As part of the event at the arena, there will also be an exhibition, where images from the years 1968 – 2018 will be displayed. The intern will help mount this exhibition with SCRC staff.
He or she will attend planning meetings with SCRC and other university staff and will update the project’s progress through blog posts on SCRC’s Vault 217 blog and through SCRC social media assets.
Qualifications
Graduate students currently enrolled in an MLS/MLIS or Public History Program with an interest in archives, special collections, and/or digitization may apply.
Learning Objectives
The intern will gain hands-on experience in the following: conducting archival research and writing for exhibitions, appropriate handling of archival records, digitizing archival materials (as necessary) and digitization standards, project management, the ongoing functions of an active archival repository, safe, secure, responsible and effective display of exhibition materials, and using social media to promote the repository’s outreach to patrons.
Application Deadline
December 20, 2017
Start Date
January 2018
Project Timeline and Location
The internship is located at the Special Collections Research Center, Fenwick Library, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA, 22030. The internship is planned for 16 weeks, 15 hours a week. Start and end date are flexible based on the intern’s schedule and availability.
To apply, please submit a cover letter addressing the following questions:
1. Describe a project you have worked on that required using original materials to tell a story. How did you approach the project and what was the outcome?
2. How will participating in the project described above serve your career goals?
as well as a resume, and contact information for three references to Robert Vay at rvay@gmu.edu
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