Library

About the Special Collections Internship

The Library Scholar Special Collections internship offers students an opportunity to work with rare and unique materials, processing collections, creating finding aids and digital exhibits that showcase the unique collections of rare books, photographs, documents, historic maps, oral histories, and media. Over the course of a semester, students will have hands-on experience in special collections, archives, public history, and museum studies as a profession.

The Cal Poly Humboldt Library Special Collections is home to rare books, photographs, documents, historic maps, oral histories, and media. The University Archives includes documents related to the history of Humboldt. For a sampling of our unique collections, please explore the Special Collections website.

Learning Outcomes

The Library Scholar Intern will work in a team to complete a variety of projects. Team roles and duties will be tailored to the talents and interests of the intern. In addition to a large group project, Library Scholars may be required to:

• Maintain an internship log, including experiences and challenges that they encountered over the course of their project.
• Complete training assignments and blog posts.
• Assist in processing new accessions: gaining basic physical and intellectual control of manuscript collections, preparing collection guides and marketing collections.
• Create digital projects: scanning fragile and unique material, creating metadata, working with OMEKA and BePress to exhibit and provide access to material.
• Contribute to the Special Collection and Library social media accounts, including: Tumblr, HistoryPin, and Flickr.
• Assist with archival preservation and rehousing of materials.

Outstanding Student Projects

Digital Exhibits

• Strike for Peace curated by Amanda Alster (Spring 2019) - explores the war protest held on the Humboldt campus on May 7, 1970
• Researching the Redwoods - Celebrating the 50th birthday of Redwood National Park, this exhibit tells the story of its creation and connects the journals and slides of Lucille Vinyard, with the variety of Redwood National Park exhibits about activism, logging, photograph and other collections of; Rudolf W. Becking, Boyle, Lynwood Carranco, Ericson, Peter E. Palmquist, Roberts, Hover, Schoenrock, Merle Shuster, Swanlund-Baker, Susie Van Kirk, and others, including; the Becking Redwood National Park Collection, and Rare Books from Cal Poly Humboldt Library Special Collections.
• HSU Redwoods Project - This digital exhibition was created by Cal Poly Humboldt students in partnership with the Library's Special Collections, Redwood National Park, and the Cal Poly Humboldt Museum & Gallery Practices Certification Program to celebrate our community's relationship with the redwood forests that surround us. Current exhibits include; historic logging, activism, tourism, and redwood art.
• Living Among Giants
• Humboldt Hindsight is 2020 - four exhibits covering unique themes about the campus and community 100 years ago
  • Life in Humboldt County curated by Brittani Alberto (Fall 2015) - covers the history of Cal Poly Humboldt, student life, and landmarks and places of interest
  • Hungry for Humboldt curated by Jacqueline Farrington (Fall 2015) - focuses on the historical record of food in Humboldt County
  • Transportation in Humboldt. County curated by Jorge Ambriz (Fall 2015) - examines transportation in and around Humboldt Bay 100 years ago
  • Federal Klamath and Salmon River Project curated by intern - digital scan of the Fairbanks album highlighting the importance of the Klamath River
• Lucille Vinyard Collection (Fall 2015-Summer 2016) - five exhibits highlighting some of the rich contents of the Lucille Vinyard Papers
  • A Journey through Journals - explores Lucille Vinyard's life and activism through her journals and field notes
  • Ancient Redwoods: An Avenue for Activism curated by KayCie Voigt - 
  • Design in Research - 
  • Partnerships in Activism curated by Allie Jones - Lucille Vinyard's partnerships and friendships as seen through journals, files, and letters
  • Woman of Activism: Varying Views on Vinyard curated by Blanca Drapeau
• Gasquet-Orleans Road Digital Archive - documents, journals, and more about the G-O Road

Interactive Maps

• History Pin

Finding Aids

• Alternate Waste Disposal Collection Finding Aid by Grace Rotwein (Fall 2014)

Publicity and Social Media

• Tumblr
• Instagram
• Postcards
• Museum Exhibit ("Recognizing Vinyard as Redwood Champion" in Redwood Needles, Sierra Club Newsletter, Oct/Nov 2018)

For more information on how you can sponsor an intern or donate to the Cal Poly Humboldt Library, see Giving to the Library.