Application Deadline | Selection Process | Subject Areas
Program Overview
The Library of Congress Junior Fellows Summer Intern Program enables undergraduate and graduate students to experience the integrated analog and digital collections and services of the world's largest, all-inclusive library. Working under the direction of Library curators and specialists in various divisions, fellows explore digital initiatives and increase access to the institution’s unparalleled collections and resources. Fellows are exposed to a broad spectrum of library work: copyright, preservation, reference, access, and information technology. In the past, summer fellows have identified hundreds of historical, literary, artistic, cinematic and musical gems representing the Library’s rich cultural, creative and intellectual assets. No previous experience is necessary, but fellowships are competitive and special skills or knowledge is usually desired. Selections are based on academic achievement, letters of recommendation, and an interview with a selection official. Project opportunities for 2013 are listed under Subject Areas.
Program Focus
The focus of the 2013 program is on increasing access to special, legal and copyright collections, and promoting awareness and appreciation of the Library's services to researchers including Congressional members, scholars, students, teachers, and the general public. Fellows encourage the use of collections and services − ensuring that the Library of Congress is known as a living, dynamic center for scholarly work and connections. Program participants inventory, catalog, arrange, preserve, and research collections in varied formats, as well as assist in digital library initiatives. Upon completion of their assignments, fellows work closely with Library curators and specialists to plan and present a display of their most significant discoveries and accomplishments. The Library of Congress is appreciative of the generosity of the late Mrs. Jefferson Patterson and the James Madison Council for making the 2013 Junior Fellows Summer Intern Program possible.
Eligibility
Applicants must be U. S. citizens, currently enrolled in a degree-granting program of study at an accredited institution of higher learning at the undergraduate (college, university, or Tribal College) or graduate levels, or have graduated since August 2012 from an undergraduate or graduate program.
Terms
The 2013 summer fellowships begin May 28, 2013 and end August 2, 2013. The comprehensive orientation program scheduled during the first weeks includes training in preservation techniques and instructions for the safe handling of rare materials, many of which date back to the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Fellows work full-time (40 hours per week), Monday through Friday, and receive a taxable income of $300.00 per week.
Fellows are temporary employees of the Library of Congress and are not eligible for Federal Employee benefits and privileges. However, they are protected by worker's compensation laws and eligible for a Transit Benefits Program for qualified individuals who use the Metro System, Virginia Railway Express, MARC commuter trains, county and commercial buses, and qualified commercial van pools to commute to their jobs at the Library.
Application Process
Applications for the 2013 Junior Fellows Summer Intern Program are being accepted on USAJobs.gov from December 18, 2012 through January 25, 2013.
Application Deadline
All applications (and supporting documents) must be received by the deadline January 25, 11:59 PM. Incomplete application packages will not be considered.
Selection Process
Applications will be forwarded to selecting officials in the Library who will arrange telephone interviews with promising applicants, based on materials submitted. After completion of the selection process those selected will be provided with detailed information on reporting for their fellowship.
The Library of Congress is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities who meet eligibility requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.
Subject Areas
- Office of the Librarian, World Digital Library
Project Name: World Digital Library
Working with the World Digital Library (WDL), Descriptions and Metadata teams, prepare items received from more than 160 partner libraries for presentation on the WDL. Tasks include basic research and writing, fact checking, checking against authority files and quality assurance.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; writing ability; foreign language abilities and interest in foreign cultures a plus
- Copyright Office
Project name: Copyright Historical Records
Research original copyright registration applications from 1898 through 1909 and prepare a finding aid. Works sent for copyright registration during this era included a variety of material such as books, dramatic manuscripts, newspaper stories, sheet music, photographs, ads, and maps. The project may also include assisting with development of a new public outreach and education program on copyright-related topics.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills and strong organizational and analytical skills
- Law Library of Congress
Project name: United Nations Gazettes
Inventory legal gazettes donated by the United Nations' Dag Hammarskjöld Library and compare to preexisting collections of the Law Library. Missing gazettes will be added to the Library's stacks, augmenting its already sizable collection of legal resources.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; good attention to detail; organizational skills; ability to create Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
- Office of Strategic Initiatives, National Digital Information Infrastructure & Preservation Program
Project name: Digital Preservation Policies/Practices Analysis
Work with the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, Digital Preservation Working Group, which is developing revised preservation practices and policies for the Library of Congress. Assist with implementation and evaluation of pilot guidelines by curatorial divisions within the Library. Analyze digital preservation issues in connection with the Law Library and Congressional Research Service, including activities at various stages of the digital life cycle and requirements for digital preservation workflows. Substantial interaction with library staff is anticipated, along with a need to document results and findings.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Familiarity with wiki documentation tools.
- Center for the Book
Project Name: Young Readers Center Outreach and Collection Development
Work with Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children (www.capitolchoices.org) to establish a collaborative partnership to help staff in the Young Readers Center (YRC) make recommendations on books for young people. Assist raising awareness of the YRC through the use of RSS feeds and other electronic means of communication. Assist YRC coordinator in making choices for new titles in the center’s collections. Establish connections with other youth-oriented reading centers nationwide, including State Centers for the Book based in public libraries, to explore possible collaborative projects.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; knowledge of social media; knowledge of books for young people
- Veterans History Project
Project name: Digital Preservation Workflows
Assist with the digital preservation of US veterans’ oral histories in multiple formats such as audio and video media, manuscripts, graphic materials, and electronic media. Review and evaluate already created electronic files to assist Veterans History Project (VHP) staff in determining their long-term digital preservation needs. Write content descriptions for the personal narratives of veterans. Gain real world experience with the implementation of VHP’s analog to digital and born-digital workflows.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Some prior experience working in an archive; knowledge of US military history and Microsoft Access
- Binding & Collections Care Division
Project name: Capturing the Preservation Action (Mass Deacidification) for Statistical Analysis
Update the item level catalog records of the approximately 2.4 million books deacidified in the Library’s mass deacidification program. A note in the item record of the Integrated Library System/Voyager allows one to conduct data analysis of which items have been deacidified and when. This effort will verify the work of the deacidification contractor. The majority of work will be done via computer updating, but some physical verification will also be done through book examination.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Knowledge of Integrated Library System searching and structure; use of Microsoft Excel.
- Conservation Division
Project name: Conservation Division Website Refreshment
Take existing Conservation Division treatment, assessment, and housing stories already created, (including linked images) and using Dreamweaver™ software, encode them into html for placement on the Preservation Webpage. The work will involve design, layout, and encoding as well as self-editing to clean up errors following the completion of the initial encoding. The work will be given quality control review and then be mounted on the Conservation at the Library of Congress Website at http://www.loc.gov/preservation/conservators/.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: High level computer skills including web writing and web design; knowledge of Dreamweaver™ software; ability to do html encoding; clear writing and editing ability; ability to follow instructions; patience; self-motivation
- Preservation Research & Testing Division
Project name: Degraded Audio and Video Magnetic Media Identification and Characterization
Train to test samples of audio and video magnetic tape using infrared spectroscopy and multivariate statistics to differentiate degraded and non-degraded tapes. Survey tape collections, and collect and analyze the data with the goal of validating the test process for use at the Library of Congress and other libraries, archives, and museums.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic laboratory skills; computer skills including Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
- Preservation Research & Testing Division
Project name: ASTM 100 Year Paper Aging Study
Participate in laboratory activities to investigate the natural aging of 15 printing and writing papers archived at 10 libraries/institutions since the year 2000. Conduct physical testing and some chemical analysis on the aged paper test samples. The results will inform future selection of high quality materials to store and preserve collections.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; ability to follow directions and record data
- Preservation Research & Testing Division
Project name: 1513 Ptolemy Geographia Altas
Participate in a collaborative team of scientists, conservators and curators who are conducting the detailed technical analysis of degraded, hand-colored maps in this volume. These maps contain an historical pigment called verdigris, which is now in poor condition. Conduct specific experiments related to the deterioration of verdigris, learning use of analytical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Background in one of the physical sciences, with chemistry or materials science preferred
- Geography & Map Division
Project name: Civil War Map Geospatial Portal
Assist in the identification, description, and compilation of a geospatial portal to the Library’s collection of Civil War maps. Identify geographic coordinates associated with historic published and manuscript maps, and index those locations to the modern day geographic coordinates using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. The product will be a geospatial representation of these cartographic holdings that will enable researchers around the world to freely view the collections using modern mapping software. Patrons will be able to look at historic maps and compare to modern maps of their neighborhoods, cities, or states.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; basic GIS experience; familiarity with .kml and .kmz files
- Geography & Map Division
Project name: Vicente Sebastián Pintado Papers (1781-1842)
Provide historical research and cataloging of 62 original maps of Vicente Sebastián Pintado (1774-1829), Surveyor-General of West Florida from 1805 to 1817. Also, create an electronic finding aid to link with the Manuscript Division’s collection of Pintado Papers, in preparation for digitization.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills including Microsoft Excel and Access; knowledge of Spanish language; background in library science
- Geography & Map Division
Project name: GIS Project Names and Metadata Standardization
Standardize geospatial metadata for completed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects to be compliant with the recently established naming conventions for Congressional Research Service’s database. Also, review and make the metadata compliant with Federal Geographic Data Committee standards. Key updated data into the Congressional Cartography Program (CCP) Map Inventory database, which is used as a finding aid by catalogers and Library staff. The CCP also supports the Congressional Research Service by providing GIS analysis and cartographic products.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Computer file management skills (creating and organizing digital directories and files); knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Access; knowledge of GIS software such as ArcView, ArcGIS, ArcExplorer
- African & Middle Eastern Division
Project name: Afghanistan Un-cataloged Serials and Rare Book Project
Organize and collate Afghan bound and unbound serials and prepare them for cataloging. Research and develop a record for rare Afghan lithographic books in preparation for digitization for the World Digital Library.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Familiarity with Afghan history and publishing trends; knowledge of Dari Persian and Pashto language
- African & Middle Eastern Division
Project name: African Pamphlet Collection Finding Aid
Organize and create an annotated finding aide for select rare and endangered African ephemera such as serials, historic African liberation material and African language holdings.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; strong organizational and analytical skills; knowledge of South African languages such as French or Portuguese
- African & Middle Eastern Division
Project name: Bibliographic Research on Sudan and South Sudan (2010 to present)
Sudan was the largest country on the continent of Africa until South Sudan became an independent nation in July 2011. Major conflicts between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan have been ongoing ever since. Carry out bibliographic research to compile a data base on the historical conflict between these two entities. Prepare a finding aid to the Sudan and South Sudan resources held by the Library to enable access to researchers.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; basic knowledge of bibliographic searching
- African & Middle Eastern Division
Project name: Persian Rare Book and Manuscript Hand List
There are approximately 320 Persian manuscripts and rare books held by the Library. Validate entries in a hand list of 212 of the titles by examining each of the rare books and manuscripts and correlating the information to standard references for Persian rare books and manuscripts. Enter the remaining unlisted rare books and manuscripts into the hand list to complete the finding aide. The intent is to mount the finding aid on the Library’s Website.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills including Microsoft Word; ability to read Persian
- Music Division
Project name: Music Bibliographic Access
Provide access to several music collections through either the Integrated Library System (ILS) or a database constructed for inclusion in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia. The collections include: Early-19th Century American Sheet Music, Playbills, and 20th century Popular Sheet Music. Process these primary music materials and interact with the Library's main bibliographic database, or build an independent Access database. Process OCR (optical character recognition) files for transition to MARC and inclusion in the ILS.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills including Microsoft Access; ability to read music and interpret the content of a score
- Music Division
Project name: Concert Office Commission Database
Create entries in a database of musical works by major composers of the 20th century to the present, commissioned by the Library of Congress. Draft, prepare and post publicity items for the 2013-2014 concert season.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills
- Music Division
Project name: Digital Projects in the Music Division
Support of the digital projects in the Music Division − such as "Songs of America" − which features the history of the U.S. as told through song. Digitize items on a flat-bed scanner, perform quality review of digital files, enter bibliographic information about digital files into a database, tag bibliographic records with additional metadata fields, create video montages for sound recordings, and research copyright information for digital items.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills including Microsoft Access; some knowledge of music and music history
- Science, Technology & Business Division
Project name: Japanese World War II Documents
Inventory Japanese WWII era reports covering science & technology, for example air craft technologies and climatology. These documents, preserved on microfilm, were originally captured by forces attached to the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers during 1945-1951. The project will make accessible these historical research materials about WWII and subsequent technological developments.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; ability to read Japanese
- Science, Technology & Business Division
Project name: Science Education in the 21st Century
According to the U. S. Department of Labor, 15 of the 20 fastest growing occupations projected for 2014 will require significant mathematical or scientific knowledge. Review the Library’s resources in math and science to provide the nation’s teachers with a listing of authoritative source materials pertinent to meeting this educational challenge. Create a new title in the Science, Technology and Business Division’s LC Science Tracer Bullet series, resulting in authorship appearing in the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. The publication also will be shared with educators and those involved in science education initiatives.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Some interest in science education
- Motion Picture, Broadcasting & Recorded Sound Division
Project name: Identifying and Processing Sound Recordings
The project is based at the Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Virginia. Help increase access to sound materials from various collections, including the recent donation from the Universal Music Group. Create data and inventories by performing research and listening to and documenting contents on unlabeled recordings. Sort items and perform conservation activities, and possibly digitize recordings.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Familiarity with Microsoft Excel and Access; attention to detail; research skills; interest in recorded sound history
- Motion Picture, Broadcasting & Recorded Sound Division
Project name: Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour
The project is based at the Recorded Sound Reference Center in Washington, D.C. Help increase access to the recordings from the Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour Collection, one of the most heavily used collections. The Collection contains recordings of the show's radio broadcasts from 1935 to 1944, with Major Bowes as emcee and talent scout. Enhance and enlarge an existing database incorporating new data from the Amateur Hour Collection applications and Recorded Sound Section recordings. Research the performers, scan fragile documents and design a web exhibit.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Knowledge of databases, scanning, word processing, some web design; attention to detail; research skills
- Collection Access, Loan & Management Division
Project name: Carvalho Monteiro’s Collection: Improving Access
The Carvalho Monteiro (CM) Library is rich in many diverse subjects including Sebastianism, civil and ecclesiastic law, Portuguese culture and history, Italian opera libretti, art, architecture, decorative arts, archaeology, lepidopterology, and the flora and fauna of Brazil. The materials were dispersed among several special collecting divisions of the Library of Congress. Find, retrieve and identify items from the CM Library to update the collection finding aid and the Integrated Library System catalog record. Update the image database created for this project, by capturing digital images of select pages. Based upon need, re-house or stabilize items.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Proficient in Microsoft Office software, especially Excel
- Collection Access, Loan & Management Division
Project name: Miniature Collections
The Miniature collection consists of books smaller than 5 inches that are regularly culled from the general collections for security reasons and provided special storage. Retrieve miniature items. Improve access and minimize handling by augmenting the collection finding aid. Based upon need, re-house and label and/or stabilize items.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Proficient in Microsoft Office software, especially Excel
- Rare Book & Special Collections Division
Project name: Copyright Deposit Collection (1870-1897)
This collection contains thousands of original manuscript registration letters accompanied by deposit copies, ranging from title pages of monographs and journals, to colorful graphic advertisements and product labels, political campaign literature, and sheet music − a real cross-section of American creativity and publishing history. Produce an item-level, searchable inventory, describing the content and condition of copyright records deposited in the centennial year 1876 and beyond. Using basic conservation techniques, re-house records in acid-free folders and boxes.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Familiarity with Microsoft Word and Excel
- Rare Book & Special Collections Division
Project name: Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection Archive
This is a joint digital program with the National Gallery of Art to reconstruct the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection and make available to scholars, researchers and students, the contents of the combined collection of 15th century images. Use knowledge of Dutch, German or Spanish to decipher ownership marks and to update the existing collection database. Work with bibliographical resources and standard references on early printed books and illustration.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Proficiency in Microsoft Access, Excel and Word; ability to read Italian, French or German; interest in rare books and database construction
- Hispanic Division
Project name: Online Exhibition “The United States and the Mexican Revolution”
Locate materials for this bilingual English/Spanish online exhibition about the Mexican Revolution (1910-1917), in the Library’s general collections, Prints and Photographs Division, Manuscript Division, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Music Division, and Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Prepare preliminary captions for the images chosen and select text for display on the web.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Ability to read Spanish; some familiarity with Mexican and US history.
- Manuscript Division
Project name: Mary Wolfskill Trust Fund Internship
Work in the Manuscript Division Reading Room and respond to reference inquiries received via telephone, electronic means, or in-person. Analyze reference requests. Investigate sources of information. Draft, revise, and deliver responses. Retrieve and re-shelve manuscript materials. Compile reader usage statistics.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; familiarity with web applications; knowledge of American history; ability to communicate effectively in writing; knowledge of integrated library systems, basic library applications, and other information technologies
- Manuscript Division
Project name: Manuscript Collections Processing
Assist with the processing of high priority manuscript collections in order to make them accessible for research. Projects may include the arrangement and description of the papers of prominent Americans such as diplomat and political activist Pamela Harriman, director and acting teacher Lee Strasberg, and other figures important in American history and culture from the nation’s founding to the present.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Knowledge of American history and culture; ability to organize, describe and preserve manuscript material
- Asian Division
Project name: Indexing Information on China in Library of Congress Reports
Help inventory early Chinese acquisitions of the Library of Congress, many of which are treasures, and assist in the formulation of collection development policies. Index book titles, personal names and place-names that are related to the early acquisitions. Use Chinese Collections in the Library of Congress: Excerpts from the Annual Report(s) of the Librarian of Congress, 1898-1971 compiled by Ping-kuen Yu, as a reference guide.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Knowledge of Chinese language helpful
- Humanities & Social Sciences Division
Project name: Digitization of Baseball and Sports Manuals (Pre-1924)
The project will make the Library’s baseball and sports manuals accessible globally through a variety of discovery points. Create digital facsimiles of pre-1924 sports manuals from the general collections of the Library of Congress. Work with a reference librarian in the Humanities and Social Sciences Division to identify and retrieve the manuals. Prepare and organize the material, and facilitate the digitization of these items with the Library’s Digital Conversion Team.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Ability to search the Integrated Library System online catalog; ability to prepare and organize material
- Humanities & Social Sciences Division
Project name: Main Reading Room Video
This project will take advantage of the Library’s website, as well as Facebook, YouTube and other social media to reach potential remote researchers through online research classes. Assist in designing, scripting, filming and editing short, informative videos that prepare readers to access the Library of Congress and its collections. Examples of segments may include: “Navigating the Catalog,” “Biographical Research” or “Why do Subject Searching?”
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Video experience including scripting, editing and filming.
- Prints & Photographs Division
Project name: Roll Call Newspaper Photo Morgue
Sort, inventory, describe, label, and re-house over 100,000 historic photographs and negatives from the Roll Call Newspaper. The photos, taken in the 1980s and 1990s, are primarily portraits of individuals and groups in posed and action settings with some issue-driven field assignments such as education, health and congressional elections. The subject matter features House and Senate members, their staff and committees, and nationally known figures who testify on Capitol Hill. In addition to documenting the legislative roles played out in public and behind the scenes, the photos also show the private lives of congressional members.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; visual literacy; communication skills; organizational and analytical skills
- Prints & Photographs Division
Project name: Congressional Quarterly News Photo Morgue
Sort, inventory, describe, label, and re-house over 100,000 historic photographs and negatives from the Congressional Quarterly. The photos, taken in the 1980s and 1990s, are primarily portraits of individuals and groups in posed and action settings with some issue-driven field assignments such as education, health and congressional elections. The subject matter features House and Senate members, their staff and committees, and nationally known figures who testify on Capitol Hill. In addition to documenting the legislative roles played out in public and behind the scenes, the photos also show the private lives of congressional members.
Skills/Knowledge Desired: Basic computer skills; visual literacy; communication skills; organizational and analytical skills