[Michlib-l] The Henry Ford Simmons Graduate Internships Call for Applicants

[Sarah Andrus]

Simmons Graduate Internship Program
The Henry Ford's Simmons Internship Program is designed for current graduate students pursuing careers in museums, historical agencies, conservation labs, or related fields. This internship provides participants with an opportunity to gain in-depth work experience in a major American history museum.

Stipend and Terms of Internship

Simmons interns are awarded stipends for a minimum 12-week full time internship. Starting and ending dates for individual internships are negotiable. The Simmons Internship Program is funded by the Vera W. and Walter E. Simmons Endowment Fund.

Five internship opportunities are available for 2018. Project descriptions are listed below. Applications should include:

* A letter of application, stating how your graduate studies, work and/or volunteer experience and personal interests qualify you for the specific project
* A résumé
* Two letters of recommendation regarding your qualifications for the internship, submitted directly by the authors

Students may apply for more than one internship project, but must submit a unique letter of application for each. Duplicate letters of recommendation and resumes will be considered.

The deadline for application is Friday, March 9 (postmarked or emailed by 11:59 PM EST).

Please submit inquiries, letter(s) of application, résumé and letters of recommendation to HistoryInternship at TheHenryFord.org<mailto:HistoryInternship at TheHenryFord.org> or Saige Jedele, Simmons Internship Coordinator, The Henry Ford (20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn, MI 48124-5029).


2018 Simmons Graduate Internship Opportunities



Archival Holdings Survey Internship

Knowledge and understanding of the scope, location and extent of an archive's holdings is crucial to ensuring proper management of the collections entrusted to the archivists. The Archives & Library at The Henry Ford has not conducted a thorough holdings survey since our collections were transitioned to the then-new Benson Ford Research Center in 2002. In order to update this basic but vital data to reflect the current state of our holdings; to have it conform with current professional best-practice; and to have it recorded completely within our collections management system, the Archives & Library at The Henry Ford has initiated a multi-year project to survey our archival storage areas on a shelf-by-shelf, aisle-by-aisle basis.

The Archives seeks a Simmons intern to assist in this data collection effort and aid in improving the knowledge and management of our archival holdings.

Working with the Archives Technical Services Team, the intern will collect and compile basic information on each collection, including:

  *   ID number
  *   Title
  *   Extent (in terms of both volume and number of containers)
  *   Shelf location
  *   General condition

In addition, the intern will assist in further data processing and entry, including:

  *   Determining collection accession year and donation source
  *   Creating skeletal collection management system (CMS) catalog records with attached locations

At the completion of the internship, with assistance and input from appropriate staff, the student will present a synopsis of the project to an audience of The Henry Ford staff.

Skills and abilities required:

  *   Interest in gaining experience with management of archival collections
  *   Understanding of key data and metrics involved in archival management
  *   Strong writing and communication skills, and attention to detail

Successful completion of the internship will give the student experience with data requirements for the management of archival collections; experience with a CMS having a non-archives focus; the ability to adapt and apply best practice to a working archive; and gain experience working in the multi-disciplinary environment of a museum archive.



Industrial Design Collection Processing Internship

The Archives & Library at The Henry Ford holds an array of archival materials that describe the process of industrial design and its impact on American culture and everyday life. Included in these materials are four important collections that, while subject to previous intern and staff projects, remain in part or in whole unprocessed and hidden from view by most researchers.

- 90.1.1746, Mel Boldt and Associates Records
- 95.1.1788, Sundberg-Ferar Records
- 2009.141, Bill Stumpf Papers
- 2010.83, Robert Propst Papers

The Archives seeks a Simmons intern to assist in the effort to complete processing of these four collections to improve their serviceability and findability for our internal and external researchers.

Working with the Archives Technical Services Team, duties of the intern will include:
- Arrangement and description of unprocessed materials
- Rehousing of drawings from non-archival grade flat files and roll holders
- Rehousing of materials from lateral file drawers to archival grade containers
- Addition and improvement of container labeling
- Updating and revision of existing collection description

In addition, at the completion of the internship, with assistance and input from appropriate staff, the student will present a synopsis of the project to an audience of The Henry Ford staff.

Skills and abilities required:

  *   Interest in gaining experience with description and access of archival collections
  *   Understanding of archival description standards and practices
  *   Strong writing and communication skills, and attention to detail

Successful completion of the internship will give the student experience with requirements for the description of, and provision of access to, archival collections; experience with a collection management system having a non-archives focus; the ability to adapt and apply best practice to a working archive; and gain experience working in the multi-disciplinary environment of a museum archive.



McGuffey Readers Organization, Description, and Access Internship

William Holmes McGuffey is a key figure at The Henry Ford (THF), and the nearly 300 versions of McGuffey's Readers and Primers in our stacks comprise a large section of The Henry Ford's Rare Books collection. Barriers to access for this important and extensive collection include unprocessed material and incomplete catalog records.

The Library seeks a Simmons intern to assist in the effort to improve understanding of the origins, condition, and value of our McGuffey holdings to improve their serviceability and findability for our internal and external researchers.

Working with the librarian and reference staff, duties of the intern will include inventorying, cataloging, and filing, as well as developing recommendations for duplicate copies of works in the collection.

In addition, at the completion of the internship, with assistance and input from appropriate staff, the student will present a synopsis of the project to an audience of The Henry Ford staff.

Skills and abilities required:

  *   Experience in original cataloging
  *   Knowledge of rare book handling
  *   Attention to detail


Successful completion of the internship will give the student experience with a museum collection management system; the ability to adapt and apply best practice to a working Rare Books collection; and experience working in the multi-disciplinary environment of a museum library.




Textile Conservation Internship



In the summer of 2017, The Henry Ford acquired the Textile History Collection from the American Textile History Museum.



The Conservation Department seeks a Simmons Intern to assist in the processing of this extensive collection, which includes quilts, coverlets and clothing items.



Working with The Henry Ford's chief conservator and volunteers, duties of the intern will include:

- Examination

- Re-housing

- Treatment (as required)


In addition, at the completion of the internship, with assistance and input from appropriate staff, the student will present a synopsis of the project to an audience of The Henry Ford staff.


Skills and abilities required:

  *   Basic knowledge of textile conservation methods, materials and processes, including the ability to evaluate the condition of artifacts
  *   Experience conserving a variety of organic and inorganic materials, including natural and synthetic fibers, feathers, leather and metallic fibers preferred
  *   General ability to use Windows-based computers; good oral and written communication skills; good hand-eye coordination

Successful completion of the internship will give the student experience in a working conservation department, documented projects for student portfolios, and the ability to adapt and apply best practice to a museum textile collection.



Textile History Collection Archival Processing Internship

In the summer of 2017, The Henry Ford acquired the Textile History Collection from the American Textile History Museum, making it the largest single acquisition to be brought to the Archives & Library in over 50 years.

The Archives seeks one or more Simmons interns to assist in the ongoing effort to process, describe and make public the nearly 30 individual groups of materials contained within this large collection.

Potential internship projects include:

  *   Creation of box-level finding aids for select Sample Book collections
  *   Arrangement and description of the three photographic collections
  *   Arrangement and description of the six trade literature collections (excluding Trade Catalogs)
  *   Arrangement and description of the Cocheco, Dan Cooper, and Mason Machine Works Records/Papers

Working with the Archives Technical Services Team, duties of the intern(s) will include some or all of the following:
- Arrangement and description of unprocessed materials
- Rehousing of materials
- Addition and improvement of container labeling
- Updating and revision of existing description, including finding aids and CMS records

In addition, at the completion of the internship, with assistance and input from appropriate staff, the student(s) will present a synopsis of the project to an audience of The Henry Ford staff.

Skills and abilities required:

  *   Interest in gaining experience with description and access of archival collections
  *   Understanding of archival description standards and practices
  *   Strong writing and communication skills, and attention to detail

Successful completion of the internship will give the student(s) experience with requirements for the description of, and provision of access to, archival collections; experience with a collection management system having a non-archives focus; the ability to adapt and apply best practice to a working archive; and gain experience working in the multi-disciplinary environment of a museum archive.



Gain Perspective. Get Inspired. Make History.

Sarah Andrus
Librarian
P: 313.982.6100 ext 2294
E: SarahA at thehenryford.org<mailto:SarahA at thehenryford.org>

www.thehenryford.org<http://www.thehenryford.org/>
.................................................

The Henry Ford
20900 Oakwood Boulevard
Dearborn, MI 48124


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