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The Mary and Samuel Somit Preservation Internship

The Mary and Samuel Somit Preservation Internship

University of Chicago Library Job Location: Illinois Apply By: 03/15/2020 Date Created: 02-18-2020

The Mary and Samuel Somit Preservation Internship The University of Chicago Library

The University of Chicago Library is accepting applications for the 2020 Mary and Samuel Somit Preservation Internship. This Internship, established in 2006, has been made possible through the generosity of Dr. Albert Somit (AB '41, PhD '47), University of Chicago alumnus and past president of Southern Illinois University. Dr. Somit has established the Internship to honor his parents’ legacy, serve the needs of the Library’s collection, and prepare individuals for important work to preserve library materials and other scholarly resources in all formats so they remain available long-term for research and teaching.

Summer Internship 2020

The six-week paid Internship is intended to provide firsthand experience and a broader understanding of a Library-wide program for the care and treatment of collections in an academic setting. The Preservation Department, established in 1985, consists of three units: Binding & Shelf Preparation, Conservation, and Digitization. The intern will work with the Preservation Librarian and Department managers to learn about the services, operations, issues, and challenges of preservation programs. Under the guidance of professional library staff, the intern will undertake a project and prepare a final report. During the internship, the intern will have the opportunity to give a presentation about the project and its findings. City Maps from Around the World 

For the 2020 Internship, the Intern will focus on identifying important map collections that have potential as future conservation and digitization projects. The University of Chicago Library Map Collection includes over 475,000 maps. The Collection is rich in maps of cities and countries around the world.  It is especially strong in city maps from countries and regions that support the major collecting strengths in the Library’s broader collections. Under the direction of the GIS and Maps Librarian, the Intern will work with maps of Asian, Latin American, and European cities. Activities during the internship may include:

  • Delineating and preparing inventories of existing map collections records
  • Identifying and recording formats, sizes, condition issues and copyright issues that might affect digitization decisions
  • Researching rarity and availability of map collections digitized elsewhere
  • Evaluating cataloging records and recommending how they might be improved to support access
  • Developing plans and project proposals for conserving and digitizing map collections

The Intern will have the opportunity to collaborate across the Library with staff from Metadata Management Services, the Digital Library Development Center, and the Special Collections Research Center to gain a broader understanding of how projects are integrated into existing library workflows and programs to build and provide access to digital collections.

Eligibility and Requirements

The Internship is open to recent graduates and currently enrolled students of a recognized library school of information or related program; or students with equivalent experience and training in preservation, digital collections, metadata, and archives and special collections. The applicant should possess the ability to work collaboratively and independently to accomplish project goals. Familiarity with map collections in libraries and knowledge of one or more languages represented in the collection is highly desirable.

 How to Apply

To apply for the Internship, individuals should electronically submit a letter of application, resume, list of completed relevant coursework or training, and contact information (name and email address) for two professional references. To be considered, individuals must currently be authorized to work permanently in the U.S., and be able to commit to six consecutive weeks of full-time work between approximately June 1st and August 31st. This is a paid internship in the amount of a $4,000 stipend.

The deadline for applications is Sunday, March 15th, 2020

Submit electronic applications to:

somitinternship@lib.uchicago.edu

For more information please see our Somit Preservation Internship website (https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/about/directory/departments/pres/somit/) or contact:

Sherry Byrne, Preservation Librarian

University of Chicago Library

sbyr@uchicago.edu

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

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