Reference Internship, State Library of Massachusetts, Boston, MA

Posted September 6, 2015

Special Collections Department

Fall 2015

The State Library of Massachusetts is offering an unpaid reference internship in its Special Collections Department. The internship will start after September 8, 2015, and will continue at least through the end of the fall semester, with the possibility of extension through the end of the academic year.

The intern will work with staff to cover the Special Collections reference desk (helping on-site patrons, answering telephone and written inquiries). Duties may also include processing of small collections, records management and appraisal of the Library’s archival records, inventories and re-housing of historical materials, collection surveys, and digitization.

This internship provides the student with valuable work experience in a unique library setting. The library is conveniently located in downtown Boston in the Massachusetts State House. We request a minimum commitment of eight hours per week, preferably in two four-hour shifts. Number of hours and schedule are negotiable but must be filled during the department’s public hours of Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm.

Since the early nineteenth century, the State Library has continuously collected materials that reflect Massachusetts’ government, culture and history, and continues to maintain the most comprehensive collection of Massachusetts state publications in existence. Its collection has been carefully and thoughtfully gathered for over 185 years, and it forms a tremendous resource for all areas of Massachusetts’ research. The Library has an active program to make its collections available through public programs, exhibitions, and digitization. 

The State Library’s Special Collections Department includes items that need special care due to their age, fragility, or format. Holdings comprise rare books, manuscripts, broadsides, newspapers, tax valuations, architectural drawings, prints and photographs, scrapbooks, and souvenirs. The collection is particularly strong in nineteenth and twentieth-century city directories, maps, and atlases.

For more information, contact the Special Collections Department: [email protected], or 617-727-2595.

To apply for this internship, please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected].