Junior Fellows

Description

The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and the world's largest library, with more than 151 million items in its physical collections (including books, manuscripts, prints, photos, film, video, and sound recordings) and more than 19 million items online at its award-winning Web site. Located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the Library is also the home of the U.S. Copyright Office, the Congressional Research Service, and the Law Library of Congress and is leading the worldwide effort to preserve digital material through the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program.

The general focus of the Junior Fellows Program is on increasing access to the collections and an awareness of the Library's copyright, legal and special collections and digital initiatives. In the past, projects have been developed to make the collections better known and accessible to researchers including scholars, students, teachers, knowledge creators, and the general public. Interns help the Library expose unprocessed collections, participate in digital projects, provide additional services to Congress and the public, and make our collections more immediately accessible to scholars. Interns work under the direction of Library curators and specialists in various divisions. In the past, summer interns have identified hundreds of historical, literary, artistic, cinematic and musical gems representing rich cultural, creative, and intellectual resources. United States citizens currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate school are invited to apply for consideration as a Junior Fellow.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

This program offers undergraduate and graduate students insights into the environment and culture of the world's largest and most comprehensive repository of human knowledge. Interns will be exposed to a broad spectrum of library work: copyright, preservation, reference, access standards, and information management. Interns inventory, catalog, arrange, preserve, and research a backlog of copyright or special collections in many different formats in various divisions, and assist with digital preservation outreach activities throughout the Library. Near the end of their appointment at the Library, the interns join together to present a one-day display of historically significant and compelling gems they found in the course of their work. The display is open to members of Congress, Library staff, and the press and is always an eagerly anticipated event.