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Lemelson Center Archival Internship, Summer 2020 (paid)

  • 1.  Lemelson Center Archival Internship, Summer 2020 (paid)

    Posted Jan 09, 2020 04:10 PM

    The Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, offers a full-time, 10 week, archival internship opportunity for one graduate student each summer. The internship stipend is $6,500. Housing, benefits, and transportation are not provided.

    The internship will:

    ●Enable new professionals to understand, identify, and manage the historical records of American invention and innovation;
    ●Expose interns to the Museum's rich historical collections in the history of technology and 20th century material culture;
    ●Provide hands-on experience with archival collections that document invention and innovation;
    ●Create EAD finding aids to collections documenting invention and innovation using ArchivesSpace;
    ●Engage interns in discussion of archival issues and practices and provide a wide range of professional experiences within the Museum.

    Eligibility:

    Must be currently enrolled in an archival studies program, and/or a program in American history, American Studies, Museum Studies, or Public History, or have applied to such a program for the next academic year. Prefer completed graduate course work in archival, library, or information management.

    Internship is open to students of all nationalities. United States citizenship is not required. If the selected intern is a non-US citizen, they will be required to work with the Smithsonian's Office of Fellowships and Internships and the Office of International Relations to determine whether or not they require and are eligible for visa sponsorship by the Smithsonian.

    Recent graduates may also apply. Individuals must have completed their graduate degrees no more than one year prior to the application deadline. Current undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are not eligible to apply.

     

    Stipend Information:

    Internship stipends issued by the Smithsonian are not considered salary or meant as compensation but are awarded to help defray living expenses for an intern during the term of their appointment. Interns awarded stipends who are U.S. residents for tax purposes are responsible for meeting their individual state and federal tax obligations and will receive a financial summary around March of the following year for the previous calendar year. Interns who are not U.S. residents for tax purposes will receive an IRS Form 1042-S and are likewise responsible for meeting any and all tax obligations. The stipend distribution process takes 6 weeks from the time the Office of fellowships and Internships receives an accepted intern's stipend paperwork, and stipends cannot be distributed before the start of an internship. Stipend payments are released on the 10th and 25th of each month, and the frequency of payments is decided by OFI depending on the stipend amount.

     

    The Application Process:

    Applicants must apply through the Smithsonian online application system (SOLAA). Internships are located in the Museum's Archives Center, a manuscripts and special collections repository with more than 1,400 collections documenting a wide range of subject areas and a full time staff of eleven.


    Complete applications must include the following:

    ●Internship Program application form in SOLAA
    ●Undergraduate and graduate transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable)
    ●Cover letter and resume
    ●Your essay should consist of no more than 500 words (two double-spaced pages) that explains your interest in the archival profession, what you hope to achieve from the experience, and what you believe you can contribute.
    ●Two (2) letters of reference

    Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the Archives Center's Internship FAQ when completing this application.

    Applications must be submitted via the SOLAA system by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 1, 2020. Offers will be made by mid-April. The internship begins on or after June 1, 2020. Because of high user volumes, the SOLAA website may exhibit poor performance on the afternoon/evening of March 1. Please plan ahead!

    For further information, consult the FAQ or contact: Alison L. Oswald, Archivist National Museum of American History Smithsonian Institution Archives Center, Room 1100, MRC 601 P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012 Phone: (202) 633-3726 Fax: (202) 312-1990. Email:
    oswalda@si.edu



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    Alison Oswald
    Archivist
    Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History
    oswalda@si.edu
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