P/T - Two Archival Internship Opportunities - Burke Library Columbia University (Manhattan)

INTERNSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES
Burke Library at Union
Theological Seminary
Columbia University
3041 Broadway
New York, NY 10027



The Burke Library, one of 22 libraries in the Columbia University system, has an exciting
internship opportunity available!
 
Gain valuable hands-on experience processing,
describing and rehousing archival collections!

The Burke Library Archives offers two distinct internship opportunities:

1. Henry Luce Project: MRL/WAB (bck2115@columbia.edu)
Under the supervision of the project archivist, Brigette C. Kamsler, interns will work on important
collections that are part of a three-year project processing the Missionary Research Library Archives (MRL)
and the William Adams Brown Ecumenical Library Archives (WAB).

MRL contains unique collections from missionaries and missionary organizations from six continents in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. This record group contains a broad range of field reports, demographic
surveys, and other analytical data.  As a result, the MRL documents the cultural and social realities of
indigenous populations in substantive detail.

Founded in 1945 at Union Theological Seminary, WAB contains over 30 collections, which serve as a source
for the documentation and study of modern ecumenism. Today the WAB Archives include records of local
(NYC), national, and international ecumenical organizations and communities, as well as records from
ecumenical conferences (Protestant and Catholic dialogue) that have shaped global Christianity.

2. UTS/AWTS (rc2179@columbia.edu)
Under the supervision of the Archivist for Union Theological Seminary (UTS) and the Burke Library
Collections, Ruth Tonkiss Cameron, interns will have the opportunity to work on unique archival collections
ranging from historical to modern.

The Union Archives contain over 140 collections of personal papers from Union’s famous faculty and
students since 1836, which are in demand by researchers whose interests range through social, political,
economic and educational as well as theological issues. The collections cover a wide range from
correspondence describing a tour through China in the early 1900s to a local event in the 1970s which made
front page news in the New York Times.

The Archives of Women in Theological Scholarship (AWTS)  founded at the turn of this century is a unique
and growing group of collections from the extraordinary women who were  the ‘firsts’ in modern times to
establish roles in the church, in theologically connected educational or scholarly societies.  Many of these
active collection donors continue to provide further archival sources.

Tasks:
● Creating contents lists for archival collections.
● Boxing and re-foldering historic papers.
● Researching and writing finding aids (guides to archival collections).
● Undertaking basic preservation.
● Writing blog entries in the Burke Library blog.
● Involvement with implementation of EAD.

Internships are unpaid and may be taken for credit through your school. Interns are asked to commit for at
least 10 hours per week within Monday – Friday, 9am -5pm.

Qualifications and Skills:
● Must be currently enrolled in a master’s program.
● Excellent oral and written skills.
● No prior specialist archival knowledge needed. Support and training available.
● Ability to lift heavy boxes (40lbs) safely and handle weights of 15lbs regularly.
● Organizational/office skills and experience. Familiarity with Word and Excel.
● Capacity to manage spiral staircase and work with dusty materials.
● Readable, neat handwriting.
● Knowledge of other languages including German, French, Chinese and Japanese a plus.

How to Apply:
Please submit the following:
1. Cover letter explaining your career objectives and what you hope to gain from the internship.
2. Résumé detailing your education and work experiences.

PLEASE indicate which of the two internships you are applying.

Send these materials and/or other questions to the archivists:
Brigette Kamsler, at bck2115@columbia.edu
Ruth Tonkiss Cameron, at rc2179@columbia.edu

 
The Burke Library Blog:  https://blogs.cul.columbia.edu/burkearchives/
 
More about the Burke Library can be found through our website:
http://library.columbia.edu/indiv/burke.html.
 
Listings of The Burke Library's Archival Collections linked to a growing number of Finding Aids can be
found at http://library.columbia.edu/indiv/burke/archives.html.