Conservation Internship, Summer 2026 Department: Conservation
Reports to: Babette Gehnrich, Chief Conservator
FLSA: Full-time, non-exempt, temporary
Salary: $20/hour, if not funded by your home institution
Location: Worcester, MA
Duration : 35 hours per week for roughly 6-10 weeks between May and August 2026
Deadline to apply: Rolling Basis; but no later than December 31, 2025
The conservation internship was established in 2020 to provide training opportunities for graduate students with a specialization in book or paper conservation. The internship is held at the American Antiquarian Society, located in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Organization Description The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) cultivates a deeper understanding of the American past, grounded in its ever-growing collection of printed and manuscript sources. The Society fosters a broad community of inquiry through inclusive programs and generous support of scholarship. A national research library and learned society founded in 1812 by Revolutionary War patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas, AAS is located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The AAS library today houses the largest and most accessible collection of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, children's literature, music, and graphic arts material printed before the twentieth century in what is now the United States, as well as manuscripts and a substantial collection of secondary texts, bibliographies, and digital resources and reference works.
The Library features a state-of-the-art conservation lab, built in 2019, to care for its collections consisting of close to 4.5 million books, graphic arts objects, newspapers, periodicals, and manuscripts.
Website: Internship Description: This internship program allows candidates to work in the Society’s conservation department. The goal of the internship is to afford emerging conservation professionals hands-on experience by actively participating in a wide range of conservation and preventative care activities in a rare book library setting.
Depending upon the candidate’s area of expertise and interest, activities may include,
- examination, conservation treatment, and documentation of paper-based collection material, both bound and single-sheet items
- project specific collection surveys
- collection management and housing
- preservation activities such as environmental monitoring, digitization, and disaster preparedness
To achieve these goals, the intern will work closely with departmental and/or pertinent library staff, under the supervision of the Chief Conservator.
The Conservation Intern will be part of a lively community of AAS conservators, curators, and librarians, as well as a cohort of other summer staff from various departments. They will also be able to engage with AAS fellows, scholars, and staff, through lunchtime colloquia and weekly staff talks. Additionally, the Conservation Intern will have the opportunity to visit some of the regional conservation labs as well as attend local professional events and programs offered by New England Conservation Association (NECA).
Internship Qualifications Candidates will be enrolled in a graduate program in conservation and have a demonstrated interest in the profession of library & archives or paper conservation. The applicant will have completed one full year of professional training prior to commencement of the AAS internship. The successful candidate will possess excellent hand skills, attention to detail, and the ability to read, understand, speak, and write in Standard English.
The Intern is expected to write a blog post about their internship experience.
Hours: 35 hours/week; Monday-Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Benefits: Not eligible for benefits except accrued sick time as per state law.
Housing AAS can provide on-campus housing to interns who are over the age of 21 by the date the internship starts. This housing is free of charge if housing expenses cannot be covered by your home institution.
Equal Opportunity Employment As an equal opportunity employer, we value diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to equal employment and promotion opportunity regardless of ability, age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. A successful candidate will demonstrate the ways in which they bring value to and will work towards supporting a broadly diverse community.
For questions about the internship, please contact careers[at]mwa.org. Please do not submit applications to this address.