Internship Opportunities

Kay and Kristine
Kay and Kristine, Dole Interns stand near the traveling exhibit, "Changing the Face of Power: Women in the U.S. Senate" that they curated in 2010 as part of their internship training.
Alex

Alex, Archival intern 2007

Opened in 2003, the Archive houses, preserves and makes available Senator Dole's House of Representatives papers, Senate papers, and post-Senate papers. The related papers and oral histories of Dole staffers (over 900 individuals between 1961 and 1996) and other close associates who played an important part in Senator Dole's career and campaigns are included in the collection.

Student Archival Internships

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics awards several paid archival internships each year to students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in Archives, Library Science, Museum Studies, Political Science or History.

Under the supervision of the Senior Archivist and the A/V Archivist, interns will engage in team and individual projects focused on professional archival activities including acquisition, appraisal, arrangement and description of archival collections; reference services; and exhibit development. While contributing to the work of the institution student interns will gain career-relevant archival experience. Duties may include but are not limited to:

  1. Arranging and describing new accessions to the archive
  2. Creating inventories and finding aids of materials
  3. Processing and documenting materials according to standards adopted in the archive
  4. Entering data onto datasheets and into databases
  5. Researching, designing and preparing small exhibits
  6. Digitizing photographs, press releases and other documents
  7. Preparing oral histories and other reference material for the Dole Archive website
  8. Assisting researchers in the research room
  9. Assisting with tours of the Archive
  10. Providing administrative and organizational support (e.g., copying tapes, labeling tapes and files, photocopying)

Interns will work primarily with the Dole papers, photographs, and three-dimensional collection. The internship will expose interns to all aspects of archival processing while concentrating on a few specific projects. Interns will work alongside student assistants and staff members.

Depending upon the successful candidate’s skills and interest, the intern may also help develop educational programming for the archive.

Required Qualifications

Applicants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in Archives, Library Science, Museum Studies, Political Science or History; be able to work independently and efficiently; and have excellent oral and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Students with graduate or undergraduate coursework in American political history are encouraged to apply.

Work Schedule

Interns must work ten weeks (35 hours per week) during the summer.

To Apply:

Applications for the 2010 Archival Internships are no longer being accepted.

Check back in early spring of 2011 for information about applying for 2011 Archival Internships.

For more information contact Morgan Davis, 785-864-1405, mrd@ku.edu or Judy Sweets, 785-864-1420, asweets@ku.edu