U.S. DOT Paid Summer Internship Opportunities--Washington, D.C.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Research Library and National Transportation Library (NTL), both located in the Washington, D.C. area, are seeking students pursuing MLS degrees (or equivalents) for paid, full-time internships for the period June 3 - August 9, 2013.  These internships are being offered as part of the United States Department of Transportation’s Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups (STIPDG). The internships include a $5,000 stipend, along with housing and travel (relocation) arrangements for participants whose permanent residences are more than 50 miles away from their assignment locations.The deadline for submitting an application is December 23, 2012. For more information on the program, including requirements and application instructions, please see: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/education/Stipdg.htm. If you have further questions about applying, please send an email to [log in to unmask].

When applying, please select your interest areas as the Federal Highway Administration (with specialty Research and Development) and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (with no specialty). In the space provided for specifying areas of interest not included, please list FHWA Research Library and/or National Transportation Library and the specific project(s) that interest you from the options below.

The following are potential internship projects. Responsibilities may be modified depending on the number of accepted applicants and the interest areas of the candidates.  For more information about individual projects, please contact Deena Adelman at[log in to unmask] or 202-493-3058.

ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS

Responsibilities:

For FHWA: Apply subject headings and dates to catalog records; update finding aids; arrange and digitize materials; implement preservation measures; conduct research on FHWA laboratories and past executives; fill reference requests.

For NTL:  Arrange, inventory and describe collections at the item level; create finding aids; apply subject headings.  

Review DOT Historian’s webpage for content needing updates and/or reorganization.  Provide updates to content; recommend improved layouts and organization for the site; investigate and recommend new content/features.

Desired Qualifications: Coursework towards a specialization in archives; familiarity and/or experience with archival practices; knowledge of LCSH and MARC; strong organizational, analytical, and written/verbal communication skills; willingness to adapt to changing situations, take on new tasks, and meet established deadlines with products that reflect professionalism; experience conducting historical research.

CATALOGING (Print and Digital)

Responsibilities:

For FHWA: Create catalog records for a print technical sub-collection; perform simple and complex copy cataloging; assist in the creation of original cataloging records; assign subject headings and call numbers; perform collection assessment and prioritization; participate in workflow assessment. 

For NTL: Convert metadata from MARC to Dublin Core standard for digitized print reports; work with NTL Systems Team to develop a workflow for batch loading digital documents and existing metadata; complete full cataloging of imported resources; de-accession print reports from shelf. Crosswalk structured database records to Dublin Core standard.

Desired Qualifications: Coursework and/or experience in cataloging and/or user experience; familiarity and/or experience with AACR2, MARC; knowledge of LCSH; knowledge of LC Classification System; excellent communication, organizational, and analytical skills; willingness to adapt to changing situations and take on new tasks; ability to meet established deadlines with products that reflect professionalism.

For NTL only: Knowledge of and/or familiarity with non-MARC metadata (e.g., Dublin Core).

For more information about the libraries, please see the following web sites:

Federal Highway Administration Research Library: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/library  

National Transportation Library

U.S. DOT site: http://ntl.bts.gov

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/nationaltransportationlibrary (includes information on past interns’ experiences)