2012 Internships

Ash Lawn-Highland

Charlottesville, Virginia

Interpretive guide and program development

TWO INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE

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 to be able to be flexible in terms of scheduling.

Goals: Primary responsibility will be to interpret the Monroe family and estate for visitors, serving as a tour guide through the busy summer season. In addition, interns will spend part of their time supporting other programs and needs. These additional opportunities might include one or more of the following: collections registration, research, writing, databank updating, office management, marketing, and special events.

Outcome: The intern will prepare a brief packet of information illustrating the accomplishments of the summer. This may include an overview of the docent experience, examples of research accomplished or of additional tasks completed.

Background: Ash Lawn-Highland is an historic house museum, 535-acre working farm, and site for the performing arts. President James Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth, owned the property from 1793-1826 and made it their official residence from 1799 to 1823. Ash Lawn-Highland remained a working farm until it was opened for public visitation in 1931 by philanthropists Jay and Helen Johns. Upon his death in 1974, Jay Johns bequeathed the property to the College of William and Mary. The site is dedicated to the humanities, arts, and historic preservation projects.

*Internship paid directly by Ash Lawn-Highland.
Web Address: http://www.ashlawnhighland.org/

BackStory with the American History Guys (VFH)

Charlottesville, Virginia

Research & Production Assistant, BackStory w/ the American History Guys

Terms: Graduate or advanced undergraduate student in the field of American history. Must be familiar with range of online information in a variety of discipline and library-based databases and journals. Digital multi-media production experience a plus, but not required. We're looking for someone with excellent research, writing, and organizational skills, and a good sense of humor. Successful candidate will have an active interest in current events, and be passionate about the goal of making academic material relevant to a broad range of audiences.

Goals: Intern will assist with all aspects of the radio show's production, focusing especially on story idea generation, research, outreach to potential scholarly interviewees, and prepping of show hosts. He/she will also assist with script-writing, audio editing, and creation of content for BackStory's website.

Other duties may include outreach and marketing of finished show episodes, grant-writing support, as well as general administrative support. Self-starters who display an interest in and facility for field reporting may also have the opportunity to report, voice, and produce stand-alone segments for the radio show.

Outcome: As a temporary member of the show's production staff, the intern will have a hand in developing many aspects of each of the BackStory episodes produced during the 10-week internship program. In exchange for sharing his or her disciplinary expertise, the intern will receive technical training in radio production, and come away experienced in basic studio operation and trained to use digital recorders and Pro Tools, the industry standard for digital audio editing.

Background: BackStory with the American History Guys is a new American history-themed public radio show, produced at the VFH, which seeks to bring historical perspective to today's news. It is co-hosted by renowned U.S. historians Peter Onuf (18th Century Guy), Ed Ayers (19th Century Guy), and Brian Balogh (20th Century Guy). Each week, the History Guys pick a topic from the news headlines and explore its historical context. Over the course of the hour, they are joined by fellow scholars, newsmakers, and callers with questions about that week's topic. To date, BackStory has been broadcast by more than 100 public radio stations around the country.

Web Address: www.backstoryradio.org

Documents Compass, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH)

UVA – Charlottesville, VA

Preparation of primary historical documents for web publication using a variety of digital tools with Documents Compass and Encyclopedia Virginia, both digital programs of the VFH.

Terms: Advanced undergraduate or graduate student with background in History and/or English. The intern will have a dual role. 1) to work with the staff of Documents Compass on a National Archives grant to prepare for digital publication the papers of the Founding Fathers. This will involve proofreading documents from manuscript, some special collections work, tagging documents, and some research. 2) to work with the staff of Encyclopedia Virginia and Documents Compass on the project that is engaged in putting a variety of primary documents from a variety of historical periods, on the Encyclopedia Virginia website. This also involves proofreading documents from manuscript and possibly some research. Both projects use web-based systems and employ some XML workflow, both of which are valuable tools for today's increasingly digital world. Intern should demonstrate good organizational and analytical skills, write clearly and concisely, and be able to work independently. Personal transportation is required to the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. The office is not located on the University Transit System but is very close to town.

Goals: Primary responsibilities include proofreading (tandem and single proofreading), use of web-based content management system, and related research as needed. The intern may also be involved with another project that entails historical research, use of XML computer language and other tools important to digital humanities.

Outcomes: Intern will be involved with a large grant-funded project for the National Archives that has a series of delivery dates. He/she will take part in reaching the goals set for the project in terms of document numbers. The intern will become familiar with the process and practice of documentary editing and how projects are being done in the digital environment.

Background: Documents Compass is a program of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Documents Compass and the Encyclopedia Virginia are both part of the Foundation's effort to work in digital humanities. Documents Compass aims to assist scholars with consultation and services for starting documentary editing projects or converting print publications to digital. Documents Compass is now working on a Mellon-funded project called People of the Founding Era: A Prosopographical Approach. The project combines aspects of traditional biography with computerized tagged data.

Internship Supervisor: Sue Perdue, Director, Documents Compass.

Web Address: www.documentscompass.org

George C. Marshall Foundation

Lexington, VA

Collections Management Intern

Terms: Advanced undergraduate or graduate student with an interest in collections management. Requires excellent research and organizational skills, attention to detail, and willingness to learn about collection practices including proper storage of objects and writing condition reports. Ideal candidate will also have an interest in twentieth century United States history, particularly military history.

Goals: The George C. Marshall Museum has recently begun a physical inventory of its 3,000 object collection. While approximately 95% of the collection has been cataloged, a new inventory will greatly help the museum gain a better understanding of its collection. The results of the inventory will be used in applying for grants for new exhibit cases as well as a redesign of the permanent galleries.

Under the supervision of collections staff, the intern will assist in locating, photographing, and properly storing all of the objects in the collection. The intern will also update all records in PastPerfect museum management software and write condition reports for any damaged/deteriorating objects found while conducting the inventory. In addition to working on the inventory, the intern will also assist collections staff with planning, designing and constructing temporary exhibits. If time permits, the intern will aid in the physical reorganization of the collection.

Outcomes: The intern will make a significant contribution to the physical inventory of the collection and gain valuable experience handling a variety of historical objects. Additionally, the intern will gain direct knowledge of exhibit research, design, and installation.

Background: Few Americans in the twentieth century have left a greater legacy to world peace than George C. Marshall. As Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army during World War II, Secretary of State, Father of the Marshall Plan, Envoy to China, President of the American Red Cross, Secretary of Defense and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, his characteristics of honesty, integrity, and selfless service stand as shining examples for future generations of leaders. The Marshall Foundation perpetuates Marshall's legacy through a variety of scholarship, leadership and statesmanship programs. Its facilities, including a museum and research library, offer a wide range of resources and material for use by the general public, historians, journalists, teachers, scholars, and students of all ages. In addition to its library and archive, the George C. Marshall Museum is home to 3,000 objects relating to Marshall's private life and career as a soldier and statesman.

Web Address: www.marshallfoundation.org

Gibbes Museum of Art

Charleston, South Carolina

Curatorial and Research

Terms: An undergraduate student with a particular interest in American art history. Background in art history, American studies, or museum studies is required.

Goals: Work with the Curatorial Department staff (Collections Manager, Associate Curator of Collections, Associate Curator of Exhibitions, Curatorial Assistant, and Preparator) on the following:

Assist Collections Manager with inventory of miniature and sculpture collections
Create a conservation review of sculptures in order to set conservation priorities
Conduct research on objects proposed for deaccession from the permanent collection and create deaccession forms for each object to be shared with the Collections Committee
Assist Director of Collections Administration, Preparator and Curator of Collections with reinstallation of portions of the Charleston Story exhibition in July. Duties may include object research, condition reports, drafting label copy, changing locations of objects in the database, assisting with movement of art and actual gallery installation.
Assist Director of Collections Administration with processing incoming and outgoing loan requests
Assist Curator of Collections with development of upcoming exhibitions.

Outcome: The intern will be expected to complete specific tasks as outlined above, 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 issues.

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 Charleston'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.

Web Address: http://www.gibbesmuseum.org/

Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at UVA

Charlottesville, Virginia

Collections Assistant

Terms: A graduate student or highly motivated undergraduate student, preferably in the field of anthropology, art history, global studies, or art, to serve as an intern in an Australian Aboriginal art museum and receive hands-on training in the care of museum collections. Research and writing skills are required for this position. Good hand skills and the ability to learn how to fabricate storage mounts required. Experience handling art or museum objects is desirable. Experience with digital photography required.

Goals: The intern will work directly with the Associate Curator on the following projects, which will ensure the proper storage and conservation of objects in the Kluge-Ruhe Collection and allow them to be accessed by students and researchers:

Assist with projects to upgrade the storage of art work
Assess and document the condition of objects
Conduct research on artist biographies
Conduct research on specific works of art
Assist in editing collections data for an online database
Participate in exhibition installation

Additionally, the intern will assist with office duties (mailings, answering phone) and other tasks necessary to running a small museum such as helping with exhibits and special programs, and working an occasional Saturday.

Outcome: Objects in the Kluge-Ruhe Collection will be properly stored to ensure their preservation and make then accessible to researchers. A select group of museum collection records will be available to the public for online searching. Intern will create a portfolio that will serve them in future career opportunities.

This internship presents a unique experience for students to get hands-on opportunity to work directly with the Kluge-Ruhe Collection. The students will have the opportunity to work on art storage projects. They will learn about managing museum collections and conduct collections-based research. The interns will gain experience in the following areas: curatorial research; museum registration techniques; assessing the condition of museum objects; identifying future conservation priorities; current standards for storing museum objects; exhibition installation; and preservation and environmental concerns.

Background: The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection is the only museum dedicated solely to the exhibition and study of Australian Aboriginal art in America. It is located 10 minutes from UVa. grounds at 400 Worrell Drive, Peter Jefferson Place, off the 250 East Bypass at Pantops. Programs include rotating exhibits in the gallery, research, collections management, conservation, publication and public education. The museum is open to the public open Tues - Sat 10 am - 4 pm and Sun 1 - 5 pm.

Website: www.virginia.edu/kluge-ruhe

The Library of Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

Digital Curatorial/Research/Education

Terms: Graduate student or advanced undergraduate with broad knowledge of American, Southern, or Virginia history or other closely related field. Requires excellent research, writing, and oral communication skills. Attention to detail a must. The intern should have experience in historical research, writing, database management, and Web site development.

Goals: The intern will assist in coordinating the online component of the Library of Virginia’s exhibition You Have No Right: Law and Justice, opening on September 24, 2012. The online component will be part of the Library's Virginia Memory Web site and its elements will include images, transcriptions, didactic texts, audio, and video clips. The intern will work with the Library’s exhibition coordinator; with the graphic designers to incorporate the exhibition design into the Web site; with the education associate to develop lesson plans that are integrated into the site; and with the Library's web developer to manage the database. One aspect under consideration for the online component is a “procedurals” section that focuses on the use of science and technology in criminal cases in different periods of Virginia's history.

Outcome: We anticipate that the intern will present a preview of the Web site to the Brown Institute, an annual teachers' program, scheduled for midsummer 2012. Weekly meetings with the team will gauge progress. The goal is to complete the digital online component.

Background: Library of Virginia is a major research library with printed and archival collections that make it a comprehensive source for information on Virginia history and culture. The official repository for all state records, the archives also provides access to extensive county and city records, a wide variety of personal papers, business records, church records, organizational records, and maps. More than 120,000 persons visit the Library of Virginia annually, not only to conduct research but also to attend lectures, participate in workshops, and view exhibitions. More information on the Dictionary of Virginia Biography may be found on the Library of Virginia's Web site.

Web Address: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/

Montpelier

Orange, Virginia

Research

Terms: The Montpelier Foundation seeks an advanced undergraduate student with a strong background in American history. Intern must be able to work independently and demonstrate good organizational and analytical skills. Experience with computer databases and digital media is preferred.

Goals: Primary responsibility will be to assist as a summer intern in the Curatorial Department's historic research effort. Work will focus on documentary research using both primary and secondary source materials such as manuscripts, newspaper articles and advertisements, correspondence, historical monographs, and legal documents. Through this research process, the intern will produce transcriptions, identify possible furnishings and decorative arts elements of the Madisons and their contemporaries in central Virginia and the mid-Atlantic in the early nineteenth century, and assist in the production of Montpelier's War of 1812 exhibit installations and research.

Outcome: As part of Montpelier's ongoing efforts to restore the Montpelier mansion to its 1820s appearance, the intern will assist the curatorial department to research period documents, identify references to furnishings and room use, and better understand Madison's tenure as president and commander in chief. The long term outcome is to develop a furnishings plan for the house, develop interpretive exhibition, produce contextual scholarship, and shed light on the lives of James and Dolley Madison and the other individuals who lived and worked at Montpelier.

Background: Montpelier, a 2,650-acre estate in Orange County, Virginia, was the lifelong home of James Madison, Father of the Constitution, architect of the Bill of Rights, and fourth president of the United States. It was here that he read, researched, and thought more deeply about our republican form of government than any other Founding Father. The history of the estate begins with settlement by James Madison's grandfather in the 1720s, and includes slaves who worked and lived on the plantation, Civil War soldiers who encamped on the property, and a freedman's family who lived and farmed here after Emancipation. In 2003 The Montpelier Foundation began the restoration of the Montpelier mansion to the home that James and Dolley Madison knew and loved. The architectural restoration was celebrated on Constitution Day, September 17, 2008.

Web Address: http://www.montpelier.org/

Papers of George Washington at UVA

Charlottesville, Virginia

Student Research Assistant, George Washington Financial Papers Project - Internship 1

Terms: Graduate or upper-level undergraduate student with excellent organizational skills and experience in computer technology, preferably including database and web design. Accounting skills and knowledge of business and economics highly desirable, and interest in US history a plus. Self-starter with flexibility in scheduling.

Goals: To support the creation of an interactive online database to house the George Washington Financial Papers Project. This database will present transcriptions and digital images of George Washington's financial papers, including thousands of ledgers, accounts, vouchers and receipts, in a form valuable to scholars, students, and researchers in multiple disciplines.

Outcomes: Under the direction of the Financial Papers Editor, the intern will: (a) participate in the conceptualization of the database; (b) help to evaluate a variety of technological tools that may be useful in the creation of this database; and (c) assist in the design and digital publication of the database, including content population.

Background: The Papers of George Washington documentary editing project was founded at the University of Virginia in 1968. The project's editors work to transcribe, annotate, and publish approximately 140,000 documents, including letters to and from Washington, in both print and digital form. The newly created George Washington Financial Papers Project aims to identify, transcribe, and publish all of Washington's financial papers in digital form. It is the first project of its kind, and the interactive database we create to house the Financial Papers Project will constitute cutting-edge technology that may serve as a model for other projects of this nature.

Web Address: http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/

Papers of George Washington at UVA

Charlottesville, Virginia

Student Research Assistant, George Washington Papers Project - Internship 2

Terms:Graduate or upper-level undergraduate student with experience in computer technology, including web design. Qualified candidate should have a strong knowledge of web design and developing using CSS and HTML, as well as experience in interface design. Experience using Adobe Creative Suite (Dreamweaver, Fireworks/Photoshop, and Flash) is essential.

Goals: To assist in the redesign, development, and implementation of The Papers of George Washington website. The goal is to expand and improve the content with a view to making it more valuable to students, teachers, and the general public; and to make it more interactive.

Outcomes:Under the direction of project editors, the intern will: (1) Design new theme and interface; (2) Build site and create templates; (3) Research new tools that might enhance the user's experience.

Web Address: http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/

The Scottsville Museum and Historic Landmarks Foundation

Scottsville, Virginia

Collections Processing and Research - Internship 1

Terms: Seeking an advanced undergraduate student with a background or interest in 19^th century Virginia history. Requires excellent research, writing, and organizational skills, and attention to detail. Intern must also be able to work well independently, and a good familiarity with digital camera photography and computer scanning techniques are plusses. Personal transportation is required as the project involves document copy efforts, artifact preservation, research, and progress meetings in Scottsville (there is a stipend for auto wear-and-tear).

Goals: Scottsville Museum collections include historic ledgers from Scottsville businesses dating from 1820-1870. Included in these ledgers are daily business transactions between the stores and their patrons and other historical data, which has been written on the ledger pages or inserted loose between these pages. This data includes lists of slave names, curative recipes produced by pharmacists in local apothecaries, Civil War letters, estate settlements, and other untold treasures. The ledgers must be preserved by photographing or digitizing their contents for future research use as well as rehoused in appropriate acid-free containers.

Under the supervision of the archivist, the intern will create a detailed inventory of this collection that includes identifying, copying, and arranging ledgers within the collection and recording business and patron names and other information contained in those ledgers. As necessary, the intern will conduct research using primary and secondary sources to identify or verify information about these ledgers and to understand each ledger's historical context.

Outcome: The intern will make a significant contribution to inventorying and processing this collection while gaining valuable experience handling and organizing primary source documents according to current archival standards. The inventory as well as any preliminary research and writing completed by the intern will provide the basis for the collection finding aid, which will be published on the Scottsville Museum website for researcher use. The intern's finished product shall be presented to the Museum's Board of Directors at their August 2012 meeting.

Background: The Scottsville Museum and Historic Landmarks Foundation is a nonprofit, incorporated organization, which “seeks to preserve for public benefit the historical, natural, and artistic heritage of the Scottsville community.” It is housed in a former Disciples of Christ Church, built in 1846, and its adjacent parsonage, the Barclay House. The latter building has been renovated to create research space and to house our technical systems, archives, and library. The Museum is on Main Street in downtown Scottsville. It displays permanent and rotating exhibits relating to the town and its history. The museum is open to the public on weekends from April through October. Should a prospective intern be interested in seeing the Museum, a private opening can be arranged by contacting Connie Geary at smuseum@avenue.org.

Web Address: http://smuseum.avenue.org

The Scottsville Museum and Historic Landmarks Foundation

Scottsville, Virginia

Remembering Scottsville and Esmont Teachers and Their Educational Talents - Internship 2

Terms: Seeking an advanced undergraduate student with good writing and computer skills, who is at ease in interview situations with a diverse set of people with a wide range of unique memories. Skills in digital photography, Photoshop, and audio and/or video recording would be useful but not required. The student should have or be willing to develop skills in oral history collection focusing on participants' memories of teachers and students in Scottsville and Esmont schools. Personal transportation is required as the project involves interviews at the museum, but, when invalidism demands, a few may be done in private homes (there is a stipend for auto wear-and-tear). The intern may do a considerable part of their background research, reading, and transcribing at home.

Goals: Scottsville Museum is committed to creating a rich archive of Scottsville and Esmont school information through the twentieth century. Although elementary schools still exist today in these communities, Esmont HS was closed in 1949 and Scottsville HS by 1968 as the result of school consolidation efforts in Albemarle County. Former students of Scottsville and Esmont schools periodically hold class reunions where classmates and teachers reunite and share class photos, yearbooks, news clippings, and other school information. Scottsville Museum wishes to gather such school information and memories via a series of interviews of students and teachers from schools in these two communities.

Outcome: The intern will be trained to conduct such interviews and in the use of the recording, photographic, and computer systems. The intern will conduct all interviews and in-depth probes of participants' school-related memories. He/she will record the interviews, copy artifacts (class photos, yearbook info, etc.), annotate and index each interview, and write interview summaries. In addition, the intern will write a four- or five-page final report reviewing his/her summer work and give a brief oral report about this work to Scottsville Museum's Board of Directors at their August 2012 meeting. All reports, summaries, recordings, scanned images, and photographs accomplished by the intern will become part of the Museum's permanent collections with the acknowledgments of the intern's authorship. Material from this internship may be used in a future museum exhibit, and recommendations from the intern on potential exhibit displays are definitely welcomed throughout this summer study.

Web Address: http://smuseum.avenue.org

Virginia Historical Society

Richmond, VA

Digital History Internship

Terms: Upper-level undergraduate student with a strong history background; familiarity with African American history a plus. Accuracy and attention to detail required.

Goals: Primarily responsible for helping to build the Virginia Historical Society's new electronic resource, "Unknown No Longer: A Virginia Slave Name Database." Duties will include data verification and entry of slave names and other extant information derived from original manuscript records in the VHS collections into the newly developed database. Intern may also assist with the creation of metadata for digital images of original documents that will be linked to specific names or category listings.

Outcome: The intern will be part of the effort to increase the content of the database first made available for research on the VHS web site in September 2011, and will be expected to help continually to test the tool and write a brief report on its capabilities and increasing potential for research.

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 this initiative to create and maintain a searchable database of individuals enslaved in the colony and state of Virginia, information about whom may be gleaned from the original manuscript records in the VHS's holdings.

Web Address: http://www.vahistorical.org