You are here
Internships & Student Assistants
Through the donor supported Library Scholar Special Collections Internship and Student Assistant program, Special Collections is able to support the educational and career goals of our students. Special Collections Interns and Student Assistants contribute greatly to the processing, digitization and overall growth and usability of our archive. Since 2002, Special Collections has worked with over 120 students through the Internship and Assistant program.
The Library Scholar Special Collections Internship and Student Assistant program offers students an opportunity to work with rare and unique materials, process collections, write finding aids, or create digital or physical exhibits that showcase the unique collections of rare books, photographs, documents, historic maps, oral histories, and media preserved in the archive. Over the course of their time, students have hands-on experience in special collections, archives, public history, and museum studies as a profession. This internship offers great real-world archival experience while being an incredible addition to a resume.
Student Reflections
"I am definitely pursuing more archival/museum oriented work after seeing how proficient I can be at work I once thought was beyond my capacity. The most valuable thing I learned from this internship is the fact that archival processing can be a collaborative process, and should in fact be approached as a multifaceted project that many individuals can contribute their skills to." (Elliot Kane, Internship)
"I have acquired new skills that I will carry with me, and a newfound respect for the care and beauty of historical artifacts. I feel accomplished that I have something on display in "Cal Poly's Library" to show off, and I'm thankful that Carly allowed full creativity so in the end I had a chance to do something that I was already talented in." (Cello Wicklin, Internship)
"I loved digitizing the Genzoli collection to make it available online for public access as I think this is such an important aspect of modern library and archive work. It is my dream to one day work in a library or archive and this position not only strengthens that goals, but makes it feel more possible and attainable." (Samantha Pate, Student Assistant)
Students are Integral to the Archives!
Thanks to our generous donors, every semester students are involved in writing Finding Aids, digitizing documents or photos, creating digital and physical exhibits as well as being given creative opportunities to make projects driven by their own interests or expertise. During their time in Special Collections students have opportunities to learn about archival practices, general library operations, details about database and metadata management, and the function of archival accessibility and research tools. Regardless of the projects worked on, all students gain important problem solving skills and grow their individual capabilities, helping set them up for future professional endeavours.
Check out the different types of student projects completed throughout the years by clicking on the icons below.
