McWatters-MacDiarmid Student Internship
History / Queen’s Archives Internship Opportunities
The Queen’s Archives in conjunction with the Department of History offers two internship possibilities for History students (HIST 501 and HIST 502) which are available to students in their 3rd and 4th year. Interns offer valuable support for various aspects of research, processing, exhibition development, collection care and documentation, digitization, and operations at the archives. Student interns will be supervised by Heather Home, the Public Services/Private Records Archivist. Interested students should read the detailed descriptions below and contact Heather Home to discuss available projects/placements. Students interested in the archival internship are strongly encouraged, but not required, to enroll in Dr. Maynard's HIST 400-001 Thinking Inside the Box: Archives, Historians, and the Politics of the Past.
HIST 501/6.0 History/Queen's Archives Internship
HIST 501 (6.0-units), is a research-based practicum recommended only for upper-year students with a certain amount of familiarity with archival practice. Students work with a collection of their own choosing over the term and write a longer report or create an exhibit (virtual or otherwise) at the end reflecting the research they have done with the papers. Students will be assigned two supervisors: one for their archival work, and another appointed by the Department of History to provide guidance on the final research paper. The department’s supervisor will read the final paper and students are encouraged to present their work at the Inquiry @ Queen’s Undergraduate Research Conference and publish their work.
HIST 502/3.0 History/Queen's Archives Internship
HIST 502 (3.0-units) is conceived for students interested in acquiring experience working with archival collections. This course will generally take the form of a student undertaking an assigned project(s) in consultation with an archivist. Working to further describe, preserve and make more readily available, archival fonds located at the Queen’s Archives. This project will give the student hands-on experience working in an archive in consultation with an archivist. There are a number of projects that are available from conservation-focused work, to prepping material for digitization, to assisting in the research and processing of new collections or accruals. Students are required to complete a journaling assignment, which encourages students to reflect upon the skills and experiences they are gaining throughout their time in the archives. Students will also be asked to select one archival document or object to discuss in an extended write up (two to three pages), for submission.
Application Process
Students interested in applying to enrol in HIST 501 or HIST 502 are encouraged to contact Heather Home , the Archives Internship Supervisor, well in advance of the start of the academic term, to discuss potential projects.
The following information should be sent to Jenn Lucas as part of the student’s application package at least two weeks before the start of the academic term:
1. A cover letter with an expression of interest outlining the reasons for pursuing this opportunity, long term goals etc., and identifying your preferred semester(s).
If you are pursuing a HIST 501 project, please include a description of a thematic area or research topic that you would be interested in working with. You can find information about the Queen’s University Archives collections on their website.
2. A resume
3. The name of a faculty member in the Dept. of History who can speak to your academic work (preferably a seminar instructor).
4. Your student number.
As part of the application process, the details of the placement (tasks, timing, research focus, etc.), will be discussed between the student and the Internship Supervisor. Once the research project(s) are determined and the student’s application has been accepted by the archives, the student is responsible for contacting Jenn Lucas to ensure they are enrolled in the appropriate course prior to the end of 2nd week of the term.
McWatters-MacDiarmid Student Internship
Queen’s University Archives is seeking an upper-year undergraduate student to assist with projects related to digitizing archival collections, working with born-digital archives, and creating and managing metadata for collections in the new Queen’s University Library Digital Collections platform and collections on the Internet Archive. Students will explore various aspects of archival research, collection documentation, digitization, data management, and operations while working with the Digital and Private Records Archivist and other Archives team members. This position is a paid internship funded through the generosity of the McWatters-MacDiarmid Archives Fund.
Knowledge or familiarity digitization processes and equipment and data management, including experience using Excel, will be of benefit. The studentship will be granted based on academic excellence and demonstrated knowledge, interest, and experience related to archival research. Preference will be given students pursuing degree programming in the Humanities.
Details
- 10 hours/ week at $20/hour
- Fall Semester Work Period: Monday, October 30, 2023 – Friday, December 15, 2023 (7 weeks)
- Winter Semester Work Period: Monday, January 8, 2024 – Friday, April 26, 2024 (16 weeks)
Application Process
Students are asked to submit a cover letter and resume to the University Archivist (ken.hernden@queensu.ca). Please put “McWatters-MacDiarmid Student Internship” in the subject line.
The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that considers an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require an accommodation during the interview process, please advise us.
The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ persons.
Work Study
Queen's University Archives hires students to reshelve and work on special projects from time to time. Check back on this page every August for any posted opportunities.
Volunteering at Queen's Archives
Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, Queen's University Archives will be unable to accept any volunteers this year. If you are still hoping to work with archival material from home, we would like to encourage you to help us transcribe handwritten materials.