Welcome RAO Interns

I am pleased to announce that the Reference, Access, and Outreach Section of the Society of American Archivists has selected Jessica Miller and Ben Bromley as section interns for 2009-2010.

Jessica Miller is a student at Wayne State University and will complete the Master of Library and Information Science with a Graduate Certificate in Archival Administration in December 2009. She has interned or worked at Benson Ford Research Center at The Henry Ford, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Wyandotte Museums, the Archives of Michigan, the Library of Congress, and previously worked as a writer/editor for the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. She earned her BA in English from Michigan State University.

Ben Bromley is a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and will complete the Master of Science in Information Science in May 2010. He has worked or interned at Technical Services for Archival Collections in Wilson Library at UNC, Research and Instructional Services for Archival Collections in Wilson Library at UNC, and the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William and Mary. He earned his BA in History and Religious Studies from the College of William and Mary.

Thank you to everyone who applied for the inaugural RAO internships. The intent of the intern pilot project is to provide an opportunity for current graduate students or archivists with less than three years experience in the profession to be actively involved in and observe the activities of a section. The interns' primary responsibilities are in the area of communications, but may include other section initiatives based on the interests and needs of the interns and section. Welcome, Jessica and Ben!

RAO Section internship available

The Reference, Access, and Outreach Section (RAO) of the Society of American Archivists seeks volunteers for at least one unpaid section internship for 2009-2010. The intent of the intern pilot project is to provide an opportunity for a current graduate student or archivist with less than three years experience in the profession to be actively involved in and observe the activities of a section. The intern's primary responsibilities will be in the area of communications, but may include other section initiatives based on the interests and needs of the intern and section. The intern will serve from the time of selection through the 2010 SAA Annual Meeting (attendance at the 2010 Annual Meeting is not required).

Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in archives (such as work, volunteering, internships, and/or coursework). Also important are attention to detail, good organizational and communication skills, flexibility, and a sense of humor. The intern will be required to submit at least two news or other items to the RAO News blog, which may then be published in the RAO Newsletter and other venues.

Other responsibilities may include:

* Monitor the RAO blog and Facebook group for potential improvements, revisions and/or corrections, posts or comments requiring responses.

* Assist Webmaster as needed, particularly as SAA transitions to Drupal to support its online presence.

* Communicate with Steering Committee members regarding ongoing business, projects, concerns, etc.

* Participate in section projects, working groups, sub-committees, etc. as appropriate. Topics may include: needs identified in the RAO meeting discussion groups; ongoing projects of the section such as National History Day, impact of MPLP upon users and reference archivists, 2.0/social media education for archivists; or other identified priorities of the section.

To apply for the RAO Section internship, submit resume and cover letter detailing your reasons for interest in the internship, including potential topics of interest, to RAO Chair Amy Schindler (acschi@wm.edu) by September 11, 2009.