Paid Summer Equity Internship, Albany Public Library, NY

Posted February 24, 2023

Description

Albany Public Library (APL) is seeking applicants for the 2023 Touhey Library Equity Fellowship. The paid internship gives recent Black graduates of library school programs the opportunity to gain valuable practical skills and proficiency in many aspects of public librarianship.

The aspirational goal is for fellows to continue their professional careers at APL after the program is complete. The program is administered through the Friends and Foundation of Albany Public Library (FFAPL). The fellowship is in its third year.

This year, the Touhey Fellowship takes the form of a summer internship. Two fellows will work up to 150 hours between June and August at APL’s Washington Ave. and Arbor Hill/West Hill branches at a pay rate of $19.59 per hour.

The internship is open to Black graduates of master of library and information science (MLIS) or master of science in information systems (MSIS) programs at American Library Association-accredited institutions who completed their degrees between 2020 and May 2023.

To Apply

Applications for the fellowship are due by Wednesday, March 15. A cover letter, resume, and one reference are required and must be submitted online. 

“The library profession isn’t as racially diverse as it could be, so the Touhey Library Equity Fellowship was established as a way to hopefully attract Black librarians to Albany Public Library,” said APL Executive Director Andrea Nicolay. “With the generous support of the Carl E. Touhey Foundation, we are able to work towards our diversity goal with much greater intention. Having professional staff who reflect the community we serve is important and has the potential to inspire our young patrons to explore a career in libraries.”

“I am glad to support the Albany Public Library and FFAPL in their efforts to diversify their professional staff. More importantly, diversity, and representation give young people in Albany a chance to see a career for themselves at the library,” said Charles Touhey, president of the Carl E. Touhey Foundation.

“FFAPL applauds the Carl E. Touhey Foundation for providing opportunities to students of color that reveal their future can begin now,” said DTrae Carter, president of FFAPL. “These BIPOC students deserve to take part in shaping what our Albany community will look like.”