Internships

Special Collections Intern

Available Internships

Pequot Library brings literature, music, art, science, and the humanities to our community. For over 125 years, Pequot Library has been a center of culture and community for Southport Village, Fairfield County, and beyond, providing free library services and vibrant and diverse programming.

Besides being a circulating library, Pequot Library maintains a special collection of more than 30,000 rare books, manuscripts, and archival materials. The collection includes items such as: a Shakespeare Collection including extracts from First Folio (1623) and complete Second (1632), Third (1666), and Fourth (1685) Folios; Grammars and Primers by Noah Webster; and the manuscript and final typescript of the last four chapters of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind. Pequot Library is currently pursuing the complete cataloging of its rare books and materials, and is concurrently curating public exhibitions revolving around the special collections. Previous exhibitions have focused on the life and legacy of Jane Austen, nineteenth century Egyptomania, and early American history.

Special Collections interns provide vital support to Pequot Library and, by extension, to all library patrons. Internship tasks are an essential part of preserving Pequot’s Special Collections. The cataloging project will make this rich repository accessible in a way that it has never been before, bringing the treasures of Pequot to researchers and visitors in Fairfield and beyond. Tasks may include shelving books, cataloging rare books, manuscripts, and archives, photocopying, filing, as well as researching materials for upcoming exhibitions.

This is an exceptional opportunity for students to obtain real experience in several aspects of archives and special collections, and to participate in a dynamic, landmark project at an important public institution. Internships begin June 17-August 23, and are 10-15 hours per week and available as paid experiences or for academic credit. For more information and applications, please contact Special Collections Librarian Cecily Dyer at dyer@pequotlibrary.org.