Nadia Sophie Seiler at the Strahov Monastery Library in Prague
The Seiler Library Internship is an opportunity to explore librarianship by working at a national research library, participating in its daily activities, completing library-based projects, and beginning to develop a network of contacts in the field. The internship is held at the American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts. This internship is generously sponsored by the Nadia Sophie Seiler Fund.
Internship description
This internship will provide an overview of possible careers in the library field. While the candidate's interests will help shape the internship, we anticipate the intern will job shadow or work on projects in our graphic arts collections and reader services. The intern will also get to interview other staff and shadow other departments, depending on areas of interest. We also are planning for 1-2 field trips to other special collections libraries in the region. The intern will be required to maintain a journal detailing their experiences.
Internship qualifications
Candidates will be interested in exploring librarianship and/or information science but not yet enrolled in a Master of Library and Information Science (or equivalent) graduate studies program.
Candidates must have completed some college coursework AND must be 21 years of age by the date the internship starts due to the residential housing requirement.
The Society invites applications from people who may come to the internship from a diversity of paths, including, but not limited to: a rising senior or recent graduate exploring potential career paths; someone in a graduate studies program other than library and information science; someone in the workforce or re-entering the workforce contemplating a career change.
Schedule
35 hours per week for 10 weeks (350 hours maximum); February 10, 2025 through April 18, 2025.
Work Environment
The Seiler Intern will perform most of their duties in a shared office environment with artificial light and cool, controlled temperatures. Training in library software will be provided. The Seiler Intern will work with historical books and pamphlets which may result in exposure to dust, mold, and other irritants. Training in handling historical materials will be provided.
Housing
The Seiler Library Internship is a residential internship, and the Seiler Intern will live in AAS Scholars’ Housing. This will allow them to participate in Society events and to build relationships with other members of the Society’s community.
How to apply
Please submit a résumé and cover letter through our online platform. The application deadline is November 17, 2024.
For questions on this position, please contact careers [at] mwa.org (careers[at]mwa[dot]org). Please do not submit applications to this address.
About Nadia Sophie Seiler
The Seiler Library Internship was established in memory of Nadia Sophie Seiler. Nadia’s passion for books and libraries began at an early age—when she was 4, she turned her room into a library and issued every member of her family library cards. Her love of words and language led her to Carleton College, where she wrote her senior thesis on the works of Joyce and Nabokov; her other passions included ancient Greek, French, and her cello. After college, Nadia worked in publishing in New York, then earned her MLIS at the University of Michigan, beginning work as a cataloger at the Folger Shakespeare Library in 2007. She was named Rare Materials Cataloger at the Folger in 2011 and, thanks to her language background and passion for puzzles, she became a leading paleographer of “secretary hand.” Working with some of the most complex manuscripts, ephemera, and oddities of the early modern era, Nadia contributed thousands of MARC records to the Folger database. Just before her death in 2014, she was promoted to Senior Cataloger. In Nadia’s memory, the Nadia Sophie Seiler Fund is dedicated to creating opportunities for early career librarians.
About AAS
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) cultivates a deeper understanding of the American past, grounded in its ever-growing collection of printed and manuscript sources. The Society fosters a broad community of inquiry through inclusive programs and generous support of scholarship. The Society is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels of the institution, as expressed in Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility: a statement from the Council and Staff of the American Antiquarian Society.
Additional Information
Navigating the Book Trades Manuscripts with the First AAS Seiler Intern by 2020 Seiler Intern Ashley Tooke
Quicken the Thought — The Game of Authors by 2021 Seiler Intern Sienna McCulley
‘Uncle Cleve’: President Grover Cleveland, His-story v. the Truth by 2021 Seiler Intern Sienna McCulley