Congressional Papers MLIS Internship, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Posted March 10, 2025
Description
Congressional Papers Interns assist with the ongoing arrangement, description, and preservation of the papers of Senator Patrick J. Leahy. This large and complex collection, which documents Leahy’s 48-year senatorial career, is currently being prepared for public access with funding provided by a Preservation Partnership Grant from the United States Senate.
This paid internship is designed to provide a current MLIS student or recent MLIS graduate with hands-on experience in arrangement and description. Work will be conducted in person on the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vermont.
Duties
In Summer 2025, a graduate intern will arrange and describe a complex collection of ephemera collected by the Senator that will comprise a portion of the General Personal Office Files subseries. Consisting of approximately 40 linear feet, the ephemera documents a wide range of activities that the Senator was involved with over the course of his career. Tasks will include sorting the material and arranging by year, completing basic preservation tasks, reboxing and refoldering, and assisting the archivist team with populating the container list and descriptive content in ArchivesSpace. If time allows, the intern will also work on inventorying other portions of the General Personal Office Files subseries, which could include newspapers or subject files.
Qualifications
- Current enrollment in, or recent completion of, a master’s in library and information science program
- Familiarity with DACS
- Familiarity with Excel or other spreadsheet applications
- Precise attention to detail
- Excellent written communication skills
- Ability to follow detailed step by step workflows
- Ability to treat valuable collections with care
- Respect for confidential material
- Ability to lift boxes up to 35 pounds from shelves at a variety of heights, including overhead, and carry them short distances
Compensation
150-hour commitment for 10 weeks running from June 2-August 8, 2025. Work sessions onsite will be scheduled at mutually convenient times within a Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm framework. Pay rate is $18.00-$21.84/hour.
How to Apply
Send a resume and cover letter to Sally Blanchard-O’Brien, Congressional Papers Archivist, at [email protected]. For best consideration, apply by March 31, 2025; application review will begin on April 1.