February 18, 2009 Library of Congress To Offer Junior Fellows Summer Internships

Press Contact: Audrey Fischer (202) 707-0022
Public Contact: Beth Davis-Brown (202) 707-3301

Rare comic books, wax-cylinder recordings, novelty postcards, hand-colored films and a tale told on a hooked rug were among the treasures uncovered by the 2008 class of Junior Fellows Summer Interns, who located them among the copyright deposits and gifts that have come into the nation's library. This summer the Library of Congress, home of the U.S. Copyright Office, is once again offering special 10-week, paid internships to college students. For a stipend of $3,000, the 2009 class of Junior Fellows Summer Interns will work full-time between June 1 and Aug. 7 with staff specialists to inventory, describe, and explore copyright and gift collection holdings throughout the Library. The focus of the program is on increasing access to collections by making them better known and accessible to researchers including scholars, students, teachers, creators, and the general public. In past years, summer interns have worked with both American and international materials related to a diversity of subjects, and in multiple formats including books, manuscripts, music, film, pictures, and maps. The application deadline is midnight, Wednesday, March 11. Applications will be accepted only online and should be sent to the 2009 Summer Intern Program Coordinating Committee at interns09@loc.gov. Questions about the program may be sent to questions09@loc.gov, and for information on how to apply, visit www.loc.gov/hr/jrfellows/. The interns will be exposed to a broad spectrum of library work: preservation, reference, access standards, information management and the U.S. copyright system. The program is made possible through the generosity of the late Mrs. Jefferson Patterson. In addition to the stipend (paid in bi-weekly segments), interns will be eligible to take part in programs offered at the Library. Interns are temporary employees of the Library, and as such are not eligible for federal employee benefits and privileges. The Library of Congress is an equal-opportunity employer. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities who meet eligibility requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.

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PR 09-034
2009-02-18
ISSN 0731-3527