Arthur J. Morris Law Library: Special Collections and Archives
Charlottesville, Va.
Two internships available
Internship #1: The Digital 1828 Catalogue Collection Project
Digital History, Bibliographic Studies, Website Development
Terms: The Special Collections and Archives department of the Arthur J. Morris Law Library seeks a graduate student intern with experience and interest in early American or early modern European history, bibliographic studies, or archival presentation. The intern will work closely with the Digital Collections Librarian, Archivist, and the Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities on the Digital 1828 Catalogue Collection Project, an initiative to build a digital library of the over 700 legal texts that appeared in the university library's 1828 catalog.
Goals: Primary responsibilities will include the digitization of the legal texts using the Law Library's book scanner (we will train first), creating rich metadata to describe each work, entering appropriate information about them into the English Short Title Catalogue, and collaborating with the project directors and campus partners in developing the collection's public digital presence.
Outcome: The internship will offer a graduate student professional development opportunities in the digital humanities, digital history, and team-based project development as well. It may also offer new research possibilities for their own scholarly work. The intern will write some short blog-post reflections on his/her work during the summer and make a public presentation to the Library community upon the completion of their tenure.
Background: The Digital 1828 Catalogue Collection Project reconstructs the original corpus of 721 legal texts purchased for the first UVA library and listed in UVA's 1828 Catalogue. The UVA Law Library has been working for forty years to collect these rare legal titles, most of which Thomas Jefferson personally selected. By digitizing and making these works easily available to the public, the project aims to create new research opportunities into the history of early American law and legal education. In addition, it seeks to build a model for other institutions interested in expanding the digital presence of their rare book collections.
Internship #2: Diary of a Dean: The Life of William Minor Lile
Digital History, Documentary Editing, Local/Institutional History
Terms: The Special Collections and Archives department of the Arthur J. Morris Law Library seeks an advanced undergraduate student intern with experience or interest in modern American history, documentary editing, or local public history. The intern will work closely with the Digital Collections Librarian, Archivist, and the Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities on "The Diary of a Dean: The Life of William Minor Lile (1859-1935)" project, an initiative to digitize and transcribe the journals of the first dean of the UVA School of Law.
Goals: Primary responsibilities will include digitizing eleven volumes of Lile's journals using the Law Library's book scanner (we will train first), creating rich metadata to describe the collection, and correcting and expanding upon an earlier transcription of the first volume. In addition, the intern will work with the project team to develop the website that will hold the digital images and transcriptions. She or he will also develop a smaller interpretative project based on the materials.
Outcome: The internship will offer the undergraduate student professional development opportunities in the digital humanities, digital history, and team-based project development as well. The intern will write some short blog-post reflections on his/her work during the summer and make a public presentation to the Library community upon the completion of their tenure.
Background: William Minor Lile (1859-1935) penned the first entry on November 6, 1882 in what became an eleven-volume series of journals spanning fifty years. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and dean of the Law School from 1904 to 1932, Lile began his diary when he left his native Alabama to open a law practice in Lynchburg. He penned the majority of his journal entries while living in the Pavilion X at the end of East Lawn in UVA's historic Academical Village. The view from Pavilion X, captured in Lile's diaries, looked out onto the immediate setting of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville and the larger world beyond. Lile's journals illuminate a period of dramatic local and national change in the post-Civil War era.
http://archives.law.virginia.edu/catalogue/
Battersea Foundation
Petersburg, Va.
Curriculum development, website design, and marketing
Terms: An undergraduate student with strong prose writing skills and an interest in secondary education will work 30-40 hours a week crafting tours and producing educational and marketing materials for this historic Petersburg site, now undergoing restoration. Background or demonstrated interest in American or Virginia history, archaeology, or museum studies is preferred but not necessary. Must have strong writing and research skills; social media marketing experience is also a plus, as is experience with web design. Creative writers are especially invited to apply. Must have own laptop and transportation to/from site. Battersea is in located in Petersburg, 95 miles southeast of Charlottesville. Housing is provided.
Goals: The intern will assist with a number of initiatives in several categories: marketing; educational curriculum; and development of interpretive tours, including a "haunted tour" of the property.
Outcome: Interns will perform a variety of the following activities: website design, Wikipedia page development, brochure design, social media marketing, lesson plans for elementary and high school students. An intern with exceptional writing ability will also have the opportunity to craft a series of stories about Battersea appropriate for elementary and high-school level students; develop a self-guided tour of the Battersea villa; and write fictional stories or ghost stories based on fact for a "haunted tour" of the property.
Background: Battersea is a remarkably intact Palladian-style colonial villa and landscape located on 30 acres along the Appomattox River in Petersburg, Va. The house was built for John Banister, who was the first Mayor of Petersburg, a Revolutionary delegate, a Congressman, and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. Research into the full history of the site and its inhabitants is underway. The Battersea Foundation purchased the property on June 14, 2011, and launched a capital campaign to fund research and restoration. As stewards of the property, the Foundation is committed to a mission to preserve and protect this historic property, and develop the grounds as a resource to the community for educational and cultural enrichment.
Gibbes Museum of Art
Charleston, South Carolina
One internship available
Collections Management and Curatorial Research
Terms: An undergraduate or graduate student with a particular interest in American art history. Background in art history, American studies, or museum studies is required.
Goals: An internship at the Gibbes Museum of Art in summer 2017 will be a unique experience. The Museum reopened to the public last summer (2016) after a two-year major renovation and expansion. The UVA intern will have an active role in the many activities that occur during this exciting and challenging time for the Gibbes as we grow into our new building that now includes expanded gallery spaces, studios for working artists and open-storage concepts. The intern will work with the Curatorial and Collections Department staff (Director of Collections, Curator of Collections, Curator of Exhibitions and Preparator).
Outcome: The intern will be expected to complete specific curatorial and collection tasks which may include: assisting with annual collection inventory, cataloging new acquisitions and preparing works for outgoing loan and researching and writing label copy for upcoming exhibitions, and prepare a brief report with representative samples of work. At the end of the summer, the intern will have a broad understanding of curatorial and collection management procedures at an art museum.
Background: Opened in 1905 by the Carolina Art Association, the Gibbes Museum of Art represents a long and impressive tradition of cultural leadership in historic Charleston, providing residents and visitors with access to a distinguished collection and an active, schedule of exhibits, programs and events. The nationally significant collection of American paintings reflects Charleston's past and present and is a source of community pride. From portraits and landscapes of the Colonial South to the era of Porgy and Bess and the preservation of America's most beautiful city, visitors come face to face with Charleson's history. Of special importance at the Gibbes is the country's premiere collection of jewel-like miniature portraits. The Gibbes collection consists of approximately 10,000 objects ranging from paintings, prints and drawings, to photography, sculpture and archival materials.
James Monroe's Highland
Charlottesville, Va.
Two internships available
Internship #1: Video/web production and interpretive guide
Terms: Upper-level undergraduate student with basic knowledge of early American history and a willingness to learn about the worlds of James Monroe. Excellent communications and public relations skills required. Need transportation and flexibility in scheduling.
Goals: The intern will devote 50% of their time to interviewing and creating audio and video recordings of individuals related to Highland's history, to include descendants of the enslaved community from Monroe's ownership, and staff members and former staff members with memories of the property. The other half of this internship will be spent interpreting James Monroe's historic contributions to U.S. history for visitors, serving as a tour guide through the busy summer season.
Outcome: The intern will produce raw audio and video recordings as well as some edited products to include brief videos and potentially a web exhibition. Application materials may be supported by submission of edited video.
Internship #2: Collections management and interpretive guide
Terms: Upper-level undergraduate student with basic knowledge of early American history and a willingness to learn about the worlds of James Monroe. Excellent communications and public relations skills required. Need transportation and flexibility in scheduling.
Goals: The intern will spend 50% of their time on collections management, updating collections and loan information. The other half of this internship will be spent interpreting James Monroe's historic contributions to U.S. history for visitors, serving as a tour guide through the busy summer season.
Outcome: The collections intern will produce an updated Guide to Collections, and will also update digital records and organization of collections storage. Application materials should indicate any prior experience with software packages such as PastPerfect.
Background: James Monroe's Highland is a 535-acre historic site, once home of fifth U.S. president, James Monroe, located just outside Charlottesville. Since 1974 it has been a part of The College of William and Mary, James Monroe's alma mater. The site's core contains restored historic structures and reconstructions of historic buildings. In addition to the historic core, Highland holds an additional 500 acres that are managed forest and pasture land. James Monroe purchased the property to increase his farming activities and settle adjacent to his friend and mentor Thomas Jefferson. At its greatest extent, the plantation covered about 3500 acres. Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, owned the property from 1799 through 1823, a period that included his terms as governor, Secretary of State, Secretary of War, and twice President of the United States. Monroe farmed the property, growing grain as well as timber. He held an enslaved work force who occupied positions as field hands, house servants, and skilled craftspeople. The enslaved population reached a maximum of 50-60 people at a time, and varied according to activities and labor needs at Highland and at his other residence, Oak Hill, in Loudoun County. The names and stories of some of the enslaved laborers are known from documentary sources. In 2016 Highland announced the results of a multi-year research campaign that determined that the standing house is James Monroe's 1818 Presidential Guest House, and the 1799 Main House exists as a set of well-preserved archaeological remains on the property. The site tour includes both the Main House Site and the 1818 Presidential Guest House, and reflects on Monroe's high-profile roles in national and international settings. The narrative of the house and grounds relays a story of Monroe's commitment to the ideals of the American Revolution and engagement with a significant series of events in the history of democratic governance, and presents a nuanced context of politics and economics that includes the lives of people enslaved on the property.
highland.org
Library of Virginia
Richmond, Va.
One internship available
Online collections management and women's history research
Terms: With support from the 2019 Commemoration: American Evolution program, the Library of Virginia offers an internship in its Public Services and Outreach Division. The Library seeks an undergraduate or graduate student intern to complete 300 hours at the Library of Virginia under the supervision of exhibitions coordinator Barbara C. Batson. The intern will work with LVA staff, including the exhibitions coordinator (as project director), graphic designers, education coordinator, social media coordinator, and editorial staff.
Goals: Using Omeka, an online content management system, the intern will develop an online collection of women's biographies created as Virginia Women in History and Strong Men & Women, two annual projects of the Library of Virginia. The collection will be accessible through the Education Web site (http://edu.lva.virginia.gov/) and will be a first step to creating a women's history portal to the LVA's collections and other products relating to women's history in Virginia. The intern will transfer the biographies, images, and any other materials from the current VWH and SMW web pages and then use Omeka to create a dynamic Web site of archival documents, images, and three-dimensional objects.
Outcome: The intern will use his/her skills in critical thinking and in historical research and writing to craft a creative presentation in various electronic formats, including social media, that engage a general audience.
Background: The Library of Virginia is one of the oldest agencies of Virginia government, founded in 1823 to preserve and provide access to the state's incomparable printed and manuscript holdings. Our collection, which has grown steadily through the years, is the most comprehensive resource in the world for the study of Virginia history, culture, and government.
http://www.lva.virginia.gov/about/
John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History
University of Virginia
Four internships available
The Nau Civil War Center is directed by Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War. http://naucenter.as.virginia.edu/
Internship #1: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
Fredericksburg, Va.
Terms: In partnership with the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History, the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is seeking an undergraduate intern with a background in nineteenth-century American history to work at the national park. This internship pays $10 an hour--roughly $3,000 for the summer (30 hrs a week for 10 weeks).
Goals: Duties will be determined by conversations between staff at the Park and at UVA's Nau Civil War Center and could include research, engagement with visitors to the Park, and preparation of historical papers, and work for the NPS websites. The summer internship includes housing at the Park.
Background: The National Park Service unit headquartered in Fredericksburg encompasses four major Civil War battlefields, cemeteries containing soldiers from the United States and the Confederacy, monuments from the commemorative era, and historic structures dating from the 18th through the 19th century. The site interprets a wide range of events, including the battles of Fredericksburg (1862) Chancellorsville (1863), the Wilderness (1864), and Spotsylvania (1864); the experience of black and white refugees; the trauma of civilians caught in the path of war; and postwar activities that recalled and interpreted the conflict.
https://www.nps.gov/frsp/index.htm
Internship #2: Richmond National Battlefield Park and Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
Richmond, Va.
Terms: In partnership with the John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History, the Richmond National Battlefield Park and Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is seeking an undergraduate intern with a background in nineteenth-century American history to work at the national park. This internship pays $10 an hour--roughly $3,000 for the summer (30 hrs a week for 10 weeks).
Goals: Duties will be determined by conversations between staff at the NPS units and at UVA's Nau Civil War Center and could include research, engagement with visitors, preparation of historical papers, and work for the NPS websites. The summer internship includes housing on Park Service land.
Background: These two National Park Service units headquartered in Richmond administer several major Civil War battlefields from 1862 and 1864-65, the Chimborazo Medical Museum, prisoner-of-war installations, portions of the Tredegar industrial site, several national cemeteries, monuments from the commemorative era, historic structures from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the Maggie L. Walker house. The two sites interpret military events and civilian life during the Civil War, the process of emancipation, race relations during Reconstruction and the late 19th century, and the development of commemorative traditions relating to the war.
https://www.nps.gov/rich/index.htm
Internship #3: Albemarle United States Colored Troops (USCT) Digital Project--
Charlottesville, Va.
Digital history, database and website development, archival research
Terms: Undergraduate student with background in American history. The intern will work directly under the Nau Center's digital historian assisting in efforts to gather data and information on all African American men from Albemarle County who were Union soldiers or sailors during the American Civil War. Intern should demonstrate strong organizational and analytic skills, ability to work independently, and write clearly. This internship pays $10 an hour--roughly $3,000 for the summer (30 hrs a week for 10 weeks).
Goals: Primary responsibilities include data entry of information from USCT records into our database, analysis of this data, writing essays about aspects of the Albemarle African American experience during the 19th century, and other tasks to be determined in conjunction with the Nau Center digital historian.
Outcome: The intern will be expected to complete specific tasks as outlined above. At the end of the summer, the intern will have a detailed understanding of both the technical processes involved in the digital humanities and the history of Albemarle County and Charlottesville during the Civil War era.
Background: Albemarle USCT Digital Project was begun in 2015 as a way to tell another side of our local community's Civil War story, which in the past often has been dominated by the Confederate "Lost Cause" narrative. Very little is known about what black men from central Virginia did during the conflict and we hope to uncover a larger story tracing their lives from the antebellum period, to the war, to Reconstruction and the end of the century.
Internship #4: Virginia Historical Society
Richmond, Va.
Manuscripts processing (nb: same as Internship #2, Virginia Historical Society, below)
Terms: Upper-level undergraduate student with a strong history background; familiarity with Virginia Civil War and social history a plus. Accuracy and attention to detail required. This internship pays $10 an hour--roughly $3,000 for the summer (30 hrs a week for 10 weeks).
Goals: Duties will include sorting, arranging, analyzing, re-housing, and describing Civil War-era papers with the potential for some work digitizing selected documents.
Outcome: Under the supervision of archival team members, the intern will be part of a major effort to process a significant group of Civil War-era manuscripts, with the goal of producing finding aids that will guide researchers to the materials.
Background: The Virginia Historical Society maintains a strong commitment to educational outreach, exhibitions, and other programming, but is perhaps best known for its research library and collections. Those collections include manuscripts (personal and family papers, business and organizational records), printed materials and rare books, and museum artifacts. A commitment to preservation of and access to its richest resources has led to an initiative to process these materials.
www.vahistorical.org
Jefferson's University--The Early Life Project, 1819-1870 (JUEL)
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Va.
Two-three internships available
Digital history, website development, archival research
Terms: Advanced undergraduate or graduate student with background in American history. The intern will work with the Jefferson's University: The Early Life project team on creating and expanding a UVA Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH)-sponsored digital humanities archive and website on the early history of the University of Virginia. This will involve professional transcription/editing of historical documents and XML keying of already digitized and transcribed documents. Intern should demonstrate strong organizational and analytic skills, ability to work independently, and write clearly.
Goals: Primary responsibilities include professional documentary transcription (we will train first), proofreading, XML mark-up of digitized and transcribed documents, and writing of descriptive primary document-based essays.
Outcome: The intern will be expected to complete specific tasks as outlined above. At the end of the summer, the intern will have a detailed understanding of both the technical processes involved in the digital humanities and the early history of the University of Virginia.
Background: The "Jefferson's University--Early Life Project, 1819-1870" (JUEL) was cofounded by Kirt von Daacke, Associate Professor of History and Assistant Dean, College of Arts and Sciences; and Maurie McInnis, former Professor of Art History and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at UVa and now Provost of the University of Texas-Austin. JUEL is funded by The Jefferson Trust, an Initiative of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, and the University of Virginia. It is housed within the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH).
http://juel.iath.virginia.edu/
Take Back The Archive
Charlottesville, Va.
Two internships available
Archival research and digital history of sexual violence
Terms: Seeking graduate students or advanced undergraduate students to help expand a digital archive devoted to the history of sexual assault at the University of Virginia.
Goals: The intern will conduct historical research into the topic, first identifying relevant artifacts and documents (both analog and digital) and then uploading them to the digital archive. The intern will also catalog and annotate the objects. Lucid writing is required; an interest in metadata or archival practice is a plus.
Outcome: Under the supervision of the director of the Institute for Public History, the intern will gain both curatorial and technical experience in digital public humanities.
Background: TakeBackTheArchive is a collaborative public history project created by UVa faculty, students, librarians, and archivists. It is meant to preserve, visualize, and contextualize the history of sexual violence at the University of Virginia.
http://takeback.scholarslab.org/
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
Two internships available
The mission of Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is to connect people and ideas to explore the human experience and inspire cultural engagement. VFH reaches an estimated annual audience of 23 million through Community Programs, Digital Initiatives, Scholarship, and the Virginia Center for the Book.
Internship#1: Discovery Virginia project
Charlottesville, Va.
Archiving, digital archives, history, metadata management, mixed media (audio and video content)
Terms: Advanced undergraduate or graduate student with background in Humanities (History or English preferred). The intern will work with the Discovery Virginia project, an institutional repository that includes a wide variety of assets produced over the Foundation's forty year history. The project is fairly new and just beginning to add content to an open source repository built in Islandora. Tasks will include use of the Islandora system, metadata management and review, scanning and conversion of analogue and digital materials, and possibly transcription. Intern should demonstrate strong organizational and analytic skills and be comfortable with a variety of technologies.
Goals: Interns will build skills in digital archiving, curating, audio and visual preservation, metadata management and standards (e.g. Dublin Core).
Outcome: Adding content to the repository with a focus on mini-exhibits that feature related content (e.g. materials on Tangier Island representing multiple programs at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities).
Background: The mission of Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is to connect people and ideas to explore the human experience and inspire cultural engagement. VFH reaches audiences across the Commonwealth and beyond through Community Programs, Digital Initiatives, Scholarship, and the Virginia Center for the Book. Since its founding in 1974, it has grown to become the largest and most diversely funded state humanities council in the country, producing more than 40,000 humanities programs including festivals, public radio programs, and digital resources, and contributing to more than 3,500 grant projects and 350 individual and collaborate fellowships. The VFH is a department of the University of Virginia.
http://dv.saas.dgicloud.com/
Internship #2: History United project
Danville, Va.
Collections management, digital archives, interpretation and visitor engagement
Terms: Seeking an undergraduate or graduate student to assess the collections of an informal network of history and cultural organizations in the Dan River Region, including Caswell County, North Carolina, and Danville and Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Over the course of summer 2017, this intern will be expected to conduct academic background research on the region and its history, and coordinate on-site visits and consultations with local museums, libraries and historical societies. The intern will also serve as an interpretive guide for an exhibit exploring Civil Rights era Danville one day a week, honing skills in visitor engagement and getting to know the integral, yet underrepresented, Civil Rights narrative of Danville, Virginia. Housing will be provided in Danville.
Goals: As part of a critical effort to encourage collaboration among area history and cultural organizations in the Dan River Region, the intern will develop a cohesive report on current collections and the cataloguing methodologies of these museum and cultural sites. Dovetailing with this assessment report, the intern will examine how the underrepresented African-American story--such as Civil Rights Era stories--can be better woven into the common narrative in existing places of public learning in the region. Ultimately, the work of this intern will begin a positive process of coordinating collection management among regional history and cultural organizations and inspire a more robust, diverse interpretation of this region's history.
Outcome: The key outcome is an in-depth report, which would be made available to the network of History United museums and cultural organizations. If time permits, a community event at the end of the summer highlighting the collections or diverse stories found in the archive, that point to a common identity in the Dan River community.
Background:History United uses local history to encourage investment in the future of the Dan River Region and build a strong collaborative network of organizations and individuals committed to positive change. The project was born in Danville in 2014, assisted by the Danville Regional Foundation and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH) will serve as its institutional home until 2019.
www.historyunited.org
Virginia Historical Society
Richmond, Va.
Two internships available
Internship #1: Manuscripts processing, corporate records
Terms: Upper-level undergraduate student with a strong history background; familiarity with Virginia economic history a plus. Accuracy and attention to detail required.
Goals: Duties will include sorting, arranging, analyzing, re-housing, and describing the corporate records of a Virginia based paper company.
Outcome: Under the supervision of archival team members, the interns will be part of a major effort to process a significant group of corporate records that are influential in the economic history of the commonwealth of Virginia, with the goal of producing finding aids that will guide researchers to the materials included in it.
Background: The Virginia Historical Society maintains a strong commitment to educational outreach, exhibitions, and other programming, but is perhaps best known for its research library and collections. Those collections include manuscripts (personal and family papers, business and organizational records), printed materials and rare books, and museum artifacts. A commitment to preservation of and access to its richest resources has led to an initiative to process this collection.
Internship #2. Manuscripts processing, Civil War archives (nb: same as Internship #4, John L. Nau II Center, above)
Terms: Upper-level undergraduate student with a strong history background; familiarity with Virginia Civil War and social history a plus. Accuracy and attention to detail required. This internship pays $10 an hour--roughly $3,000 for the summer.
Goals: Duties will include sorting, arranging, analyzing, re-housing, and describing Civil War-era papers.
Outcome: Under the supervision of archival team members, the intern will be part of a major effort to process a significant group of Civil War-era manuscripts, with the goal of producing finding aids that will guide researchers to the materials.
Background: The Virginia Historical Society maintains a strong commitment to educational outreach, exhibitions, and other programming, but is perhaps best known for its research library and collections. Those collections include manuscripts (personal and family papers, business and organizational records), printed materials and rare books, and museum artifacts. A commitment to preservation of and access to its richest resources has led to an initiative to process these materials.
www.vahistorical.org