UTC RAVE Alert

Graduate Practica

The Special Collections Graduate Practicum program offers students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga unpaid opportunities to enhance their graduate studies archival administration and records management.

Special Collections stresses a standards-based approach to digitization and description, and uses archival and digital asset management systems commonly adopted by galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAMs) in the United States. Students who successfully complete practica in Special Collections gain important transferable skills and exposure to professional software applications.

Eligibility

Practica students must be students enrolled in a library or information science graduate program.

Responsibilities and Qualifications

Practica responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • arranging and describing archival collections;
  • authoring biographical and historical notes that provide context for archival materials;
  • creating finding aids in compliance with Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and local practices using ArchivesSpace;
  • transcribing audio and video assets;
  • using scanners and cameras to digitize archival materials and rare books;
  • creating descriptive metadata and developing digital collections using CONTENTdm;
  • applying controlled vocabularies, including LCSH, LCNAF, AAT, and RightsStatements.org, to describe digital objects;
  • and assisting researchers by working shifts on the Special Collections reference desk.

Practica qualifications include the following:

  • ability to learn about Special Collections discovery tools and resources through training and self-paced learning;
  • ability to work independently and produce high quality, thorough, and accurate work;
  • ability to follow detailed written instructions;
  • strong organizational, analytical and problem-solving skills as well as demonstrated initiative and adaptability;
  • working knowledge of office productivity suites, such as Microsoft Office and Google Drive;
  • and effective written and oral communication skills.

Intern Perspectives

Read about past projects and experiences in our Intern Perspectives series on the Library’s blog.

Application

Special Collections accepts applications on a rolling basis. To apply, candidates must submit an application, including a cover letter and résumé or CV. Cover letters and résumés must be uploaded to the application form as PDFs.

Practicum students must receive course credit from their graduate program and be able to contribute a minimum of 150 hours to Special Collections.

Questions about practica or the application process may be addressed to Special Collections at [email protected] .

Assignments

In addition to their project-based work, fellows must submit an updated résumé for review and author an Intern Perspectives blog post.

Résumé and Cover Letter

All practica students in Special Collections will submit a cover letter and résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) to the Director of Special Collections for review. The cover letter and résumé/CV will be in response to a job or internship posting that is relevant to the goals stated in the student’s proposal and must be a job or internship to which student would reasonably apply with their current experience level or after completing a graduate degree in library or information sciences. The Director of Special Collections will coordinate with each student to set a deadline for submitting their résumés and cover letters. To prepare for this assignment, students should view the following resources:

Job Listings

Résumé

Cover Letter

Students must submit the following documents:

  • The job or internship posting they are responding to (URL to the posting or a .pdf)
  • Cover letter (.pdf)
  • Résumé (.pdf)

Once submitted, the Director of Special Collections will schedule a one-on-one meeting with each intern to provide feedback about improving their resume or CV to meet the goals stated in their proposals.

Blog Post

All practica students are expected to write a blog post summarizing their practical experiences. The posts are meant to give the practica students an opportunity to describe their experiences and think critically about what they have learned, how the experience contributed to their stated goals, and what challenges they encountered. All blog posts should be 1-3 pages in length and include at least two images. They should be submitted to their supervisor by email before or on the last day of the practicum. Practica students may consider the following questions, in no particular order, when drafting their blog posts:

  • What did you do? What projects did you undertake?
  • What did you expect to learn? Did you learn what you expected to learn?
  • What were your goals at the outset of the internship? How did they change as the internship progressed?
  • How did your coursework, software competencies, or other skills inform your work?
  • What challenges did you face? How did you overcome these challenges?
  • How did your experience change your perspective or assumptions about archival work?

Practica students who wish to receive feedback on their posts, may submit them to their supervisor at least one week before the end of their internship.

Blog posts will be published in the UTC Library's blog Intern Perspectives series.

Communication

Special Collections communicates with practica students through email and a Google Calendar. Further, Special Collections uses Google Sheets to manage most projects. In order to engage with Special Collections, practica students must have a Gmail account.

Practica students working in Special Collections also meet one-on-one with their onsite supervisor every week. Meetings are scheduled via MocsMail/Google calendar and students are expected to lead meetings by asking questions, bringing up concerns, and/or pulling material for consideration by their supervisor.

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