The USF Libraries are happy to announce internship opportunities in the Tampa Library for summer and fall 2021! These internships are designed to provide students hands-on experience working in a library or archive. Applicants must be currently enrolled in internship, fieldwork, or directed study courses at the graduate or undergraduate levels at the University of South Florida.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, these internship opportunities are designed to be predominantly online where possible, with an in-person orientation and training at the front end. USF anticipates returning to normal operations in fall 2021, at which time internships may be on-site. The deadline for student applications is April 15, 2021. Student applicants will be interviewed, with notification of selection by Monday, April 29. For questions, please contact Assistant Dean Carol Ann Davis at borchert@usf.edu.
Available Internships
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Hampton Dunn Postcards Collection Metadata Research ProjectProject Name: Hampton Dunn Postcards Collection
Library Department: Collections & Discovery
Supervisor(s): Xiying Mi
Paid Internship? No
Semester(s) available: Summer 2021, Fall 2021
Number of openings: 1 studentProject Description:
This project requires a history major student intern to conduct research on Hampton Dunn Postcards Collection. The collection is composed of roughly 5,000 postcards from early twentieth century Florida, conveying a sense of what earlier times looked like, or may have looked like, displaying color images of street scenes, natural vistas, and Floridians at work and play. The intern student is expected to do research on the postcards to provide information on the images.Anticipated Outcomes/Benefits:
The student intern will focus on researching and providing relevant information of the images on the postcards. They will have an opportunity to be exposed to a large collection of twentieth century Florida images and become familiar with history data organization methods in the library.Special Skill Sets:
Familiar with Microsoft Excel
Comfortable with online meetings and trainingsOther Requirements:
Students must have access to a computer and internet connection.
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Special Collections Conscious Editing InternshipProject Name: Special Collections Conscious Editing Internship
Library Department: Special Collections
Supervisor(s): Dr. Amanda Boczar
Paid Internship? Yes
Semester(s) available: Fall 2021
Number of openings: 1 student per semesterProject Description:
The Special Collections Conscious Editing intern will assist with the evaluation and editing of catalog and finding aid descriptions for special collections books and archives. The intern will examine the item or collection documentation to suggest inclusive language and updated Library of Congress (LOC) subject headings to better reflect the diverse content of Special Collections materials. Specific areas of focus may include LBGTQ+ literature and archives, African American Experience in Florida, and diversity in Children and Young Adult Literature. Interns will also have the opportunity to support the department through promotion and outreach opportunities to share their experiences with these collections. Through this internship, students will help Special Collections better showcase the diverse nature of their holdings through improved discoverability and the promotion of diverse and inclusive research.Anticipated Outcomes/Benefits:
Students will learn about conscious editing in archives, cataloging principles related to assigning LOC subject headings, the process for proposing new LOC subject headings, archives processing, and library outreach. Each element of this project will allow students to hone their skills for research, critical thinking, and attention to detail.Special Skill Sets:
Interest in library science, literature, history, or social sciences. Basic understanding of Microsoft Excel desired.Other Requirements:
We anticipate that this internship will be on site. Portions of this internship may be conducted remotely if necessary for COVID-19 precautions.
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Digital Collection Metadata Standardization ProjectProject Name: Digital Collection Metadata Standardization Project
Library Department: Collections & Discovery
Supervisor(s): Xiying Mi
Paid Internship? No
Semester(s) available: Summer 2021, Fall 2021
Number of openings: 1 studentProject Description:
This project is design for graduate student in the School of Information Science. This project’s goal is to organize the library’s digital collections, standardize the collection metadata and create metadata records for new collections in USF Libraries Digital Collections.Anticipated Outcomes/Benefits:
The intern student will have opportunities to learn:- Descriptive metadata records creation using MARC format, Dublin Core, MODS and more.
- How and when to use Library of Congress subject headings, Getty Vocabularies, GeoNames, etc.
- Workflows for transforming a physical collection into a digital collection
Special Skill Sets:
A qualified candidate should be comfortable with using Microsoft Office suite.
Preferred course work: LIS 6711 Organization of Knowledge I. Basic understanding of cataloging and metadata concepts and resourcesOther Requirements:
Students must have access to a computer, microphone for online meetings, and internet connection.
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Florida Environment and Natural History InternshipProject Name: Florida Environment and Natural History Internship
Library Department: Special Collections
Supervisor(s): Dr. Amanda Boczar
Paid Internship? Yes
Semester(s) available: Fall 2021
Number of openings: 1 student per semesterProject Description:
Project Description: In support of the USF Libraries’ Florida Environment and Natural History (FLENH) initiative, the FLENH intern will conduct with on-site archival processing, evaluation of materials for curriculum integration, selection of items for digitization, and promotion of the metacollection through outreach. Weekly projects will include working with specific collections as determined by need, interpreting scientific research, developing metadata for digitized collections, and assisting with curation of the Environment and Natural History book collection. For a final digital humanities project, the intern will select one FLENH collection to highlight in an ArcGIS StoryMap exhibit that will be added to the FLENH Virtual Tour Hub. Digital humanities work will include the curation of images and materials, assistance with photography or digitization, digital manipulation of images, storyboarding of the instruction session, and drafting of appropriate text and citations.Anticipated Outcomes/Benefits:
The intern will learn about archival processing, rare book evaluation, and digital humanities. Students will be able to obtain real world experience in their areas of study, with tasks that can be tailored to their area of study. Students will learn to use various hardware and software used by Special Collections, including using a Bookeye KIC scanner and flatbed scanner for digitization, ArchivesSpace for archives management, Photoshop for image manipulation, and ArcGIS StoryMaps for outreach. In addition, interns will sharpen research and critical thinking skills to complete their projects.Special Skill Sets:
Preference will be given to graduate students. Majors in library science, environmental science, or natural science fields are strongly encouraged to apply. Other students with strong interests in library science or environmental science fields will be considered. Experience with digitizing materials, Photoshop, or ArcGIS StoryMaps is desired, but not required.Other Requirements:
Students must have access to a computer and internet connection. We anticipate that this internship will be on site. Portions of this internship may be conducted remotely, if necessary, for COVID-19 precautions.