CONSERVATION & PRESERVATION INTERNSHIPS

Special Collections books and manuscripts of MASC are cared for in accordance with current conservation standards and ethics. Guiding principle is to respect the integrity of each item while performing effective repair.

The Annual John W. & Mildred Bissinger Endowment allows Manuscripts Archives and Special Collections (MASC) to offer two Preservation Internships for the duration of four weeks each.

The successful candidates will work in the Preservation/Conservation Laboratory in MASC at Washington State University (Pullman, WA) under the supervision of Gudrun Aurand, Bookbinder/Conservator. The intent is to provide participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to make sound decisions regarding archival mending techniques.

Conservation activities may include:

• Mending of pamphlet bindings

• construction of a variety of protective enclosures

• dry-cleaning, washing, deacidification and mending of paper artifacts

• rebinding or rebacking of cloth bound volumes

One position is offered to a technician employed by an institution who may be without prior preservation training but who wishes to improve his/her mending skills and learn about archival quality repair.

The other position is offered to a student from a Library/Information School with special interest in Preservation and who wants to gain a better understanding of the issue through hands-on experience. Candidates must be in their second year graduate program in the Information School. The prerequisite is that they had taken the Preservation Course offered by the School.

Interested applicants are invited to visit the MASC website http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/holland/masc/conserve.htm.

For further information about the Internship, please contact: Gudrun Aurand.