Archives - CU Libraries

 The Special Collections, Archives & Preservation department of the CU Libraries is offering an internship position working with archival collections. Tasks will include surveying, organizing, and creating an inventory of an archival collection to improve researcher access to the collection. As an intern you will receive a general introduction to archival collections including their arrangement, description, and preservation. Collections range in topic from history of science, political science, university history, history of the nuclear west including rocky flats, labor history among others. Your final project will be all or portions of an archival finding aid (or context and inventory for a collection). 

Number of Positions: 1

Supervisor: Ashlyn Velte, Senior Processing Archivist

Schedule: 8-10 hours per week during spring semester

Format: In person

Credit: Students may earn 3 internship credits by completing several personal reflections and submiting a final project from their internship. To earn credit, students must enroll in HIST 4930.

How to apply: Submit an internship application and a cover letter to the History Internships Coordinator, Dr. David Ciarlo (David.Ciarlo@colorado.edu). Cover letter should be saved as a PDF and must answer the following questions:

  • What skills do you bring to this internship?
  • How does this internship support your current historical interests & future goals?
  • What do you hope to get out of the internship?

Application deadline: Priority deadline is December 6th, 2023; applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

 

Digital Slavery Research Lab / Walk With Web

The Digital Slavery Research Lab (DSRL) focuses on developing, linking, layering, and archiving open-source data and multimedia related to the global phenomenon of slavery and human trafficking. DSRL's mission is to train students to become interdisciplinary collaborators using historical research on the African Diaspora and digital humanities methods. Through the design of sustainable resources, we aim to enhance mutual understanding and stimulate intercultural dialogues. This interdisciplinary lab has aligned or partnered with various centers and labs in data science at the University of Colorado Boulder, as well as industry leaders in digital humanities, particularly through Walk With Web. Depending on student interests and skills, there is opportunity to work on a variety of digital projects, such as SlaveryImages.orgLiberatedAfricans.org, as well as other projects related to spatial modeling migratory patterns of enslaved people during the era of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Number of Positions: 1-2

Supervisor: Professor Henry Lovejoy, CU Boulder History Professor

Schedule: 8-10 hours per week, specifics to be determined with supervisor, January-May, 2024

Format: Combination of in-person and remote work

Compensation/Credit: This position is unpaid. Students may earn 3 credits towards their HIST major or minor by completing several personal reflections/journal entries and submitting a final product/sample of work from their internship. To earn credit, students must enroll in HIST 4930.

Desired Skills:

  • Interest in digital history & website development
  • Willingness to generate data & synthesize large amounts of information
  • Excellent writing skills for the web & funding opportunities
  • Ability to work independently & take initiative
  • Access to a computer with internet and video call capabilities 

How to apply: Submit an internship application and a cover letter to the History Internships Coordinator, Dr. David Ciarlo (david.ciarlo@colorado.edu). Cover letter should be saved as a PDF and must answer the following questions:

  • What skills do you bring to this internship?
  • How does this internship support your current historical interests & future goals?
  • What do you hope to get out of the internship?

Application deadline: Priority deadline is November 30; applications accepted until the positions are filled. 

Lafayette History Museum

This is a paid, semester-long internship position, with the possibility of extending work to the next semester. You will assist the Collections Coordinator in conducting a comprehensive inventory of the 4,000 objects in the museum’s collection.

About the Lafayette History Museum

Located in Old Town Lafayette, Colorado, the Lafayette History Museum showcases the dynamic history of the area, from its roots in mining and farming to the century-old Lincoln Highway effort to Lafayette’s recent growth into a vibrant city with its own unique identity.

Through our exhibits, educational programming, walking tours, field trips for students, research material, and more, we preserve and share the fascinating stories of Lafayette’s evolution. Housed in the Lewis Home, an 1890s coal miner’s cottage that is on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum appeals to adults and children alike.

The Lafayette History Museum does not discriminate against any employee, contractor, volunteer, guest or program participant on the basis of age, race, sex, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, marital status, gender, veteran status, political service, affiliation or disability.

Essential duties:

- Using inventory worksheets to conduct an inventory of the objects, working in a team of two.

- Update PastPerfect 5.0 records with information gathered during the inventory

  process.

- Reconciling objects with PastPerfect records.

- Careful and safe handling of artifacts and archival material following best practices.

Skills you will gain:

- Best practices for conducting an inventory

- Familiarity with using PastPerfect 5.0 and Online

- Object handling

- Knowledge of Lafayette and coal mining history

Minimum Qualifications:

- Current student in a program in museum studies or related field

- Experience with object handling

- Basic to intermediate proficiency in Excel

- Effective communication skills

- Detail-oriented and thorough

- Ability to follow directions and ask questions as needed

Physical requirements of the job:

- Moderate physical activity is required with handling objects up 10 pounds    regularly, 30 pounds frequently, and up to 50 pounds with assistance occasionally

- Occasionally working in storage spaces that are not climate controlled

- Crouching, bending over, moving around large objects to reach other objects

- Attention to detail with fine motor skills

- Comfort with occasionally handling dirty or rusty objects and working in dusty

storage areas (PPE will be provided).

Compensation: $1,800. This position is funded through an IMLS Inspire! Grants for Small

Museums award.

Schedule: 100 hours over the course of a semester (around 12 hours per week). Start date in

January.

To apply: Send a resume, cover letter, and letter of recommendation to Chelsea Pennington Hahn at info@lafayettehistoricalsociety.org with the subject line “Internship Application.”

In the cover letter, please describe what you hope to gain from the internship, and note if the internship will be for class credit or not.

Deadline to apply: December 18 at 11:59pm MT

Museum of Boulder

As an intern you will work with the Curator of Collections and Exhibits to learn and perform the basic- including: accessioning new donations, adding to the digital catalog, labeling, and storing objects, as well as assisting the Curator with the integrated pest management and environmental monitoring systems. Other specific projects and responsibilities will be tailored to the Intern’s experience and interests and could include assisting with exhibits, research and more.

Number of Positions: 1

Supervisor: Elizabeth Nosek, Curator of Collections & Exhibits

Schedule: 8-10 hours per week. Must be available on Wednesdays and/or Thursdays. Specifics to be determined with supervisor, January – May 2024

Format: In person

Compensation/Credit: This position is unpaid. Students may earn 3 credits towards their HIST major or minor by completing several personal reflections/journal entries and submitting a final product/sample of work from their internship. To earn credit, students must enroll in HIST 4930.

Desired skills:

  • Interest in history collections and a career in museums or archives
  • Ability to take directions well
  • Detail oriented and organized
  • Comfort with being self-directed, but willing to ask questions when unsure 
  • Flexibility and a sense of humor

How to apply: Submit an internship application and a cover letter to the History Internships Coordinator, Dr. David Ciarlo (David.Ciarlo@colorado.edu). Cover letter should be saved as a PDF and must answer the following questions:

  • What skills do you bring to this internship?
  • How does this internship support your current historical interests & future goals?
  • What do you hope to get out of the internship?

Application deadline: Priority deadline is December 6, 2023; applications accepted until the positions are filled.

 

More coming soon