Friday, March 29, 2013

Special Collections Internship

Special Collections Internship

Description:

Under the direction of the Special Collections Manager/Rare Book Curator, the intern will conduct research on one (or more) of the following B&ECPL Rare Book collections listed below. Research will include history and provenance of the collection, significance of the collection locally and beyond, and value and importance of the collection to the Library, monetarily and/or culturally. Items that would enhance or round out the collection may also be identified. The intern shall conduct two (2) public presentations on the completed research and the collection.  At least one of the presentations will be held at the downtown Central Library.  In addition, the intern shall submit a written report, for archival public information purposes.

Research and presentation(s) shall be completed over the course of June, July and August.  It is anticipated the intern will work 12 hours per week for a period of 10 weeks.   There may be some flexibility in the scheduling process.

Compensation: $2,000.

Collections:



·     Oz Collection – Study of Baum’s Oz literature, examination of RBR’s holdings on Oz and related material, and recommendation of additions to collection.

·     Little Harlem Club – Club on Michigan Avenue owned and operated by Ann Montgomery from the 1930s through early 1960s, where Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and others performed. Study would be of this club and other clubs of the time period, and the programs and photographs in the collection.

·     Cuneiform – Study of Babylonian history, the tablets and cones themselves, and the Edgar Banks Expedition that procured them.

·     Bruce Shanks Collection – Study political cartoons in the collections and Buffalo News, and the context of his work from 1930s through early 1970s.

·     Zorah Berry Collection– Buffalo impresario who brought many important musicians, (Rachmaninoff, Heifetz, etc.) to Buffalo from the 1920s to late 1950s. Study would include the Zorah Berry Scrapbook Collection, Buffalo Programs and Zorah Berry Music Series and photo collection.

Requirements:

·     Current Graduate student in a Humanities or Social Sciences field, such as Literature, History, Art  or Library Science

·     Excellent research skills

·     Excellent organizational and computer skills

·     Detail oriented

·     Excellent communication skills - oral and written

·     Self motivated and ability to work independently

The candidate must submit a resume and an essay, not to exceed two pages, expressing their interest in an internship of this nature, which collection they would choose to research and why.

Please submit a resume and essay by May 17, 2013 to:

Jeannine Doyle, Human Resources Officer

Buffalo and Erie County Public Library

1 Lafayette Square

Buffalo, NY 14203