Final Year Conservation Internship

The mission of The New York Public Library is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities and we rely on three great resources-our staff, our collections, and our physical and digital spaces-to provide opportunities for learning and growth.

Bound special collections at NYPL are spread among various curatorial divisions and represent more than a thousand years of codex history from Asia to the Americas.

The Final Year Conservation Intern reports to the Senior Book Conservator and is located in the Library's Goldsmith Conservation Lab, the staff of which consists of a team of conservators and technicians specializing in bound, flat, and photographic materials. The lab supports the special collections of NYPL's research centers and provides conservation assessment, treatment, research, and training to advance the preservation of the collection and meet the conservation needs of the Library's active exhibition, loan, and digitization programs.

Conservation consists of two labs, the Goldsmith Conservation Lab and the Collections Care Lab, both overseen by the Head of Conservation and located at the Library Services Center in Long Island City, Queens. Conservation at NYPL is a unit of Preservation and Special Collections Processing, responsible for the processing and cataloging, management, and preservation of the Research Libraries collections.

Applications for the 2021-2022 academic year are due December 31, 2020.

Under the supervision of the Senior Book Conservator, the Final Year Intern:

• Develops capabilities in single-item and multi-item (batch) conservation assessment, treatment, and research methods and techniques in accordance with the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice, focusing on bound special collections
• Helps develop and refine the lab's capabilities
• Participates in lab training and assists with group lab projects
• Helps promote professional and public community participation in preservation through outreach

The position may involve lifting boxes of collections, operating equipment, and exposure to solvents, dust, and mold.

• Be Helpful to patrons and colleagues
• Be Resourceful in solving problems
• Be Curious in all aspects of your work

• Entering the final year of conservation graduate school for the academic year 2021-2022 and will receive academic credit or a stipend or both from the conservation school
• Specializing in book conservation
• Letter of recommendation from a conservation supervisor/mentor (send to conservation@nypl.org)

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Fluency with Google suite
• Experience with the expected computer systems and software used by a conservation lab

• Conservation laboratory setting
• Office setting
• Special collections/research library setting

Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm