Established in 1818, the New York State Library is comprised of two major units: the Research Library and Division of Library Development. The Research Library has a collection of over 20 million items housed in the Cultural Education Center including books, journals, NYS and Federal documents, newspapers, online resources, digital collections, maps and manuscripts. The Library's Reference Services unit is part of the Research Library and is responsible for managing the Library main Reference Desk and services on the Library's public floor. Reference librarians recommend, interpret, evaluate and/or use informational resources to assistant customers with specific research needs in person, over the phone and via email. About 1/4 of the research question received are law-related and another 1/4 of the research questions received are history-related. Reference unit staff are responsible for collection development activities such as selecting new materials to be added to the Library's collection. Reference staff are also responsible for public programming and training, curating collection displays and creating subject guides to the library's collection.
The student assistant will assist Reference staff with any of the following activities: public programming, curating collection displays, creating/editing subject guides, reviewing donations to the collection, staffing the Circulation Desk or assisting with collection moves.
The student assistant will gain experience in organizing and conducting public programming, creating displays of subject -related materials from a library's collection, creating and editing subject-related LibGuides and working with the public via in-person and virtual reference/circulation services. The student assistant will be able to attend library-sponsored in person or virtual training sessions.
Preference will be given to students studying Library or Information Sciences, or History.
Interns will work 10-15 hours each week, specifics will be arranged with the Supervisor.
Undergraduates will earn $16/hour, graduates will earn $19/hour.
To be eligible for the SUNY/SED Program, candidates must be currently matriculated in a degree program at one of our Participating SUNY Institutions. Additionally, candidates must be enrolled in classes during the semester in which they would like to intern. Summer and Winter interns must provide proof of enrollment in classes for the following semester. New York State residency is NOT required. Furthermore, students must meet all of the requirements for being hired as a Student Assistant by their Institution. Please contact your Campus Coordinator directly with any questions about your Institution’s requirements.
To apply, students must submit their resume, transcript, cover letter, and signed application to INTERNSHIPS@nysed.gov, referencing Job ID OCE-SP26-2P in your email subject line. Applications will only be considered complete if they have been signed by both the student AND the designated Campus Coordinator.
Cara Janowsky