HBCU Library Alliance Summer 2019 Conservation/Preservation Intern Program
The Winterthur University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, in partnership with the HBCU Library Alliance, received a second round funding to coordinate six fully-funded, eight-week summer internships in library and archives preservation during 2019, at six nationally-recognized library preservation/conservation laboratories. Winterthur’s Melissa Tedone, Ph.D, Associate Conservator for Books and Libraries, is Primary Investigator for this project.
Thanks to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the University of Delaware College of Arts and Science, the Department of Art Conservation at the University of Delaware, and the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library (DE) for funding this internship project. Thanks to Board member Debbie Hess Norris, University of Delaware, for securing this funding.
Interns will work on a range of possible projects, including:
- surveying the condition of library collection materials;
- stabilization and conservation treatment of historical documents, such as humidification and flattening, surface cleaning, and mending tears;
- historical research;
- digitization projects;
- environmental monitoring; and/or
- constructing custom storage enclosures for fragile archival materials.
Interns will then use their new expertise to implement a library preservation project designed in collaboration with their host site mentor and their home institution’s library staff. These projects will build on the success of each intern’s summer experience by providing an opportunity to perform meaningful work preserving significant HBCU library collections at their institution.
The six students and host sites are…
Alex Crosslen, Benedict College (SC)
University of Virginia
Alex is a self-motivated freshman with a propensity to learn. With a 4.0 GPA, he is interested in gaining understanding of various aspects of library preservation and applying those skills to projects at Benedict College.
Alex's motivation and discipline make him a prime candidate for an internship at the University of Virginia. This institution boasts nationally ranked schools and programs, distinguished faculty, a major academic medical center and proud history as a renowned research university.
Layla Huff, Morgan State University (MD)
Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library (DE)
Layla is a junior history major in the Clara I. Adams Honors College and an archival technician at Morgan State's Beulah M. Davis Special Collections Room. She interned during the HBCU Library Alliance's summer 2018 Program at the American Philosophical Society (PA) and is working towards a master's degree in education. During the 2018 internship, Layla was surprised to learn that conservation/preservation activities intrigued her on several levels, putting her naturally analytical mind to work, and still engaging with history.
Layla's passion for history aligns well with the Winterthur Library collections, which promote the interdisciplinary study of American material culture, including art, architecture, decorative arts, and everyday life. Winterthur's resources include printed books and serials; trade and auction catalogs; manuscripts, diaries, letter books, design and architectural drawings; historic photographs; printed ephemera; a large collection of modern photographs; and institutional archives.
Vashti Jenkins-Taylor, Florida A&M University (FAMU)
Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin
Vashti is a junior majoring in english, minoring in humanities, with a strong interest in audio recordings and the way they preserve the spirit of storytelling. While at FAMU, she has focused on researching and reviving different kinds of everyday American stories, from folklore to generational art practices. Vashti is eager to learn how historic recordings are stored and protected. Her hope is to become proficient in diverse types of media and their methods of care.
The Harry Ransom Center, an internationally renowned humanities research library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, will provide Vashti with a wealth of information and resources. Its extensive collections provide unique insight into the creative process of writers and artists, deepening our understanding and appreciation of literature, photography, film, art, and the performing arts.
Elisha Jewell, LeMoyne-Owen University (TN)
Harvard University (MA)
Elisha is a senior pursuing a bachelor's degree in music with a vocal concentration. At LeMoyne-Owen, she is working on a team to place a library satellite in student housing, giving students access to both fiction and nonfiction reading materials in close proximity of their living space. Her hope is to increase reading, enhance literacy and strengthen vocabulary within the student body. Upon graduation, Elisha plans on continuing her educational journey by enrolling in a library and information science graduate program. In doing so, she continues her relationship with the music community in Memphis through the interconnectedness of music and archives.
Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. Elisha considers this internship a pathway to her continued academic success. Harvard has an enrollment of over 20,000 degree candidates, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and more than 360,000 alumni around the world.
Garrette Lewis-Thomas, Fisk University (TN)
Duke University Libraries (NC)
Garrette is a junior psychology and sociology major and volunteers at the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library. She hopes to use her library volunteer skills and knowledge from her undergraduate studies to build a successful research career. Garrette's patience and willingness to learn will serve her well while exploring the extensive collections at Duke University Libraries.
From the Human Rights Archives to the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture, Duke University Libraries is committed to diversity in its patron communities, services, collections, staff and spaces. The library values diversity of thought, perspective, experience, and background.
Taylor Williams, Southern University New Orleans
Yale University Library (CT)
Taylor is an inquisitive junior forensic science major, a student always seeking opportunities to learn more. Her studies include using research findings to resolve issues and add value to a theory. Taylor believes that interning at Yale is an excellent training opportunity to learn and return skills to Southern University New Orleans (SUNO).
The Gates Conservation Laboratory at the Yale University Library opened in the fall of 2015 and is home to the conservation and exhibitions services program for the University's collection of 14 million books, manuscripts, archival documents, photographs and artifacts held in 16 libraries or collections on campus. The collections of the Library, especially those of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, document a diverse range of the human record from Egyptian papyri to early Civil War photographs, and archives of writers, artists, and musicians of the Harlem Renaissance to those of student organizations on the Yale campus.
Congrats to these distinguished HBCU interns!