HBCU Library Alliance Summer 2020 Conservation/Preservation Intern Program
The Winterthur University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, in partnership with the HBCU Library Alliance, received a third round funding to coordinate six fully-funded, virtual eight-week summer internships in library and archives preservation during 2020, 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.
Summer interns will participate in synchronous, interactive, weekly group seminars that will give a broad overview of library preservation activities. These sessions will be open to interns from previous years, so they may share their experiences and expertise. Under the mentorship of an assigned site supervisor, each intern will virtually conduct an independent research or practical project for the host site. Interns will be encouraged to apply for an on-site internship in 2021.
The six students and host sites are…
Clarke Bagsby, Fisk University (TN)
Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas
Clarke Bagsby is a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology with an interest in research and the methodologies of research. While at Fisk, she has worked in the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library digitizing historical documents for public use and aiding in historical research regarding HBCU library preservation. She is eager to learn new techniques for preserving tangible documents and the methods to be used for future preservation.
The Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin. 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. The Center’s Preservation and Conservation Division provides a full range of preventive and conservation treatment options for the long-term care of its collections
Amarah Ennis, Hampton University (VA)
Duke University Libraries (NC)
Amarah Ennis is a freshman majoring in journalism. She is a self-proclaimed trivia fiend and avid history geek. Her hobbies include captioning YouTube videos to help individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. She volunteers at the Library of Virginia where she assists in transcribing digital documents.
Duke University Libraries (DUL) is committed to diversity in its patron communities, services, collections, staff and spaces. One of its guiding principles is to build, maintain, and provide access to an international and multilingual collection, representing the broadest possible spectrum of cultures, ideas, and information. Significant collections include the University Archives, the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture, the Human Rights Archives, and the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History & Culture. The core mission of the Conservation Services Department is to ensure that library materials can be used by patrons both now and in the future.
Taryn-Marie J. Jenkins, Hampton University (VA)
Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, Wilmington, DE
Taryn-Marie Jenkins is a freshman majoring in journalism while minoring in cinema studies and leadership studies. She has an interest in researching and producing meaningful historical documentaries and understands that experience and knowledge of preservation and archiving will teach her the fundamentals to pursue that passion. Taryn-Marie looks forward to using her skills to research, interview, write and produce visual documentaries that examine historical experiences.
Winterthur Library collections promote the interdisciplinary study of American material culture, including art, architecture, decorative arts, and everyday life, dating from colonial times into the twentieth century. Its resources include printed books and serials; trade and auction catalogs; manuscripts, diaries, letter books, and family papers of artists, craftspeople, and merchants; design and architectural drawings; historic photographs; printed ephemera; a large collections of modern photographs; and institutional archives. Winterthur’s Library Conservation Lab is located within a larger Conservation Department with additional specialties in paintings, textiles, objects, furniture, works of art on paper, and scientific research and analytics.
Camryn Johnson, Hampton University (VA)
Brown University (RI)
Camryn Johnson is a sophomore majoring in english with an emphasis in film and a minor in journalism. She believes that preserving and remembering history is integral to moving forward as a society. Camryn values archiving records and protecting documents so that future generations have something to reference when learning about their history. She is excited about learning what goes into the conservation and preservation of artifacts.
Brown University, founded in 1764, is a leading research university, home to world-renowned faculty, and also an innovative educational institution where the curiosity, creativity and intellectual joy of students drives academic excellence. Brown is a place where rigorous scholarship, complex problem-solving and service to the public good are defined by intense collaboration, intellectual discovery and working in ways that transcend traditional boundaries. Providence, Rhode Island — Brown's home for more than two and a half centuries — is a vibrant place to live, work and study, a stimulating hub for innovation, and a city rich in cultural diversity.
Jasmine Malone, Xavier University (LA)
Harvard University (MA)
Jasmine Malone is a junior majoring in political science with a minor in spanish. As a student worker at the Xavier University Library, she gained experience with digitization and collections processing, creating metadata, uploading materials to Xavier’s digital archive, re-housing materials, creating finding-aids, and writing biographical and historical notes. Jasmine is looking forward to learning preservation and conservation skills that can be used at her college library.
Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. 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.
Carline Valmond, Grambling State University (LA)
University of Kansas
Carline Valmond is a senior majoring in history and biology. She has an interest in early colonial American history and the preservation of early American artifacts. While volunteering at the National Archives of Antigua and Barbuda, Carline digitized approximately two hundred estate maps dating back to the 1800's. During the internship, she would like to learn special techniques for handling different types of artifacts as well as advanced archival and preservation skills.
Kansas University libraries have more than 5.6 million print items in seven campus locations, which see more than 1.2 million visits every year. In 2016-17, patrons checked out nearly 130,000 items and accessed more than 3 million articles online. Through their resources and expertise, Kansas University Libraries work to advance discovery, innovation and learning for Kansas University, the state and a rapidly expanding community of world scholars.
Congrats to these distinguished HBCU interns!