The New York Academy of Medicine: Initiatives: Historical Collections: Conservation: Internship

Historical Collections

CONSERVATION & PRESERVATION
Gladys Brooks Internship

The Gladys Brooks Internship at The New York Academy of Medicine is designed to provide an opportunity for training in book and paper conservation. Paid internships will last for 2-3 months, depending on the number of days spent in the lab.

Please note: The next opportunity to apply for a Gladys Brooks Internship in the Conservation Laboratory will be from October 1 - December 15, 2008. This will be for an internship in 2009.

The internship will include:

Examining and applying book and paper conservation principles
Understanding the steps in determining conservation needs
Learning which materials and structures are appropriate for use in repairing, binding and storing rare or fragile materials
Executing the agreed-upon conservation treatments

Interns will become familiar with conservation activities through extensive hands-on experience and observations in a working book and paper conservation laboratory.

Interns will undertake and complete a project, selected according to their skills and interests. Projects might include:

Comprehensive treatment and re-housing of one or more books from Historical Collections
Repairing and boxing alum-tawed bindings whose metal clasps and bosses present a danger to other library materials
Repairing books with vellum pages or bindings and building specially-designed boxes for them

Applicants for this internship must:

Have some experience in the field of bookbinding and/or book conservation, and possess a desire to gain expertise through hands-on work in a functioning conservation laboratory
Have aesthetic appreciation and the manual dexterity to work with delicate and fragile materials
Submit a detailed letter of interest, a current resume, and three professional recommendations - all to the address below. An interview is required (preferably on-site) and candidates should present a portfolio of completed bindings or other relevant treatments at that time.
Have student or working visas if they are not U.S. citizens

The Gladys Brooks Internship of the New York Academy of Medicine provides a stipend of approximately $5,000. Applications will next be accepted from October 1 - December 15, 2008. All written materials must be postmarked by December 15, 2008. Interviews will take place throughout this period and until December 31, 2008. Candidates with completed applications will be notified of the Academy's decision by January 15, 2009. Dates and planned projects for the 2009 Gladys Brooks Internship are flexible and will be arranged personally with the successful candidate. The Internship will last for 2-3 months, depending on the number of days per week spent in the Gladys Brooks Laboratory.

For further information on how to apply for the internship, call 212 822-7363 (Anne Hillam).

Or write to:

The New York Academy of Medicine
Gladys Brooks Book and Paper Conservation Laboratory
Room 550
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10029

Contact the Preservation Department

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