Call for Applications: 

Internship Opportunities with the GLBT Historical Society

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society (GLBTHS) in San Francisco invites applications from undergraduate and graduate students for internships with the Historical Society.  The GLBTHS is a community-based archives and museum dedicated to preserving the histories of GLBT communities in Northern California.  For 20 years, the GLBTHS has maintained one of the world’s largest collections of primary source material about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender history. The mission of the GLBTHS is to increase public understanding, appreciation and affirmation of the history and culture of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other sexual minority individuals and communities. This internship program provides students with the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience working with a community based non-profit historical organization.  While open to all undergraduate and graduate students, this program would mostly benefit students working toward degrees in history, American Studies, Women’ s Studies, LGBT and Queer Studies, Museum Studies, and/or library or information management.  Each intern can also design a program that closely aligns with their academic needs while also serving the particular and critical needs of the Historical Society.   This could involve a special project deigned in consultation with the internship coordinator.   At minimum, interns will be expected to:

·          assist with providing access to the historical society’s archives and museum for the general public and professional researchers, including but not limited to

o         staffing our research room and gallery space

o         paging and re-shelving archival materials

o         handling basic research questions

·          assist with daily operations of the historical society, including but not limited to

o         facilitating mailings to its members

o         assisting with the organization’s record keeping needs

o         updating/maintaining the historical society’s databases

Depending on training and need, interns may also be asked to provide research assistance for archives staff, assist with the museum’s rotating exhibits, give public tours of the archives and museum, and help archivists with the processing of collections.  These particular tasks will require particular training, which will be provided to interns depending on their academic programs and the needs of the Historical Society. 

Each intern will work directly with a staff member or one of the co-chairs of the archives committee to develop an internship work plan, which will include a training timetable and a job description. While this internship is un-paid, students will be expected to commit a minimum of 3-5 hours per week over the course of a 3-5 month period for this internship, depending on the particular needs of the student’s program.  Volunteering opportunities beyond the time frame of the internship are available for students interested in continuing their work with the Historical Society beyond the internship period.   Arrangements for academic credit at their home institutions are the responsibility of each student and not of the Historical Society.

Eligibility

This program is available to all students completing a degree at the undergraduate or graduate level.  Ideally, undergraduates should be in their junior or senior years at the time they begin their internships.  

How to Apply

To apply, complete an internship application form, available from the operations manager, Jacob Richards. He can be reached at 415-777-5455 ext. 5# or by emailing jacob@glbthistory.org

Questions?

Inquiries about the internship program can be directed to Jacob Richards, Operations Manager of the GLBT Historical Society or David A. Reichard, Assistant Professor, Division of Humanities and Communication, CSU Monterey Bay and Co-Chair of the Archives Committee by e-mail at david_reichard@csumb.edu.