Digital Collection Intern
Scottsdale Public Library
January-May 2025
The Scottsdale Library is currently recruiting a Digital Collection Intern for work in our Polaris Fusion Digital Database. This is an exciting opportunity to gain experience in managing Digital content and metadata in a public library setting.
The Scottsdale Public Library Digital Collection
The Scottsdale Library maintains and adds to a digital collection whose main goal is to provide access to images, audio interviews, and video that relate to both local and statewide history. The Library uses Polaris Fusion to organize metadata related to these materials which then provide the high degree of access that is desired. The Digital Collection is also characterized by the number of partnerships the Library System has recruited to increase community involvement in the preservation of data relating to local history. These partnerships currently include such groups as the Scottsdale Historical Society, the Heard Museum, the Papago Salado Association, and the Granite Reef Senior Center of Scottsdale. The Digital Collection is thus constantly growing and provides a unique opportunity to explore the history of the City of Scottsdale, the State of Arizona, and the lives of its citizens in a user-friendly way.
Scottsdale Public Library
The Scottsdale Public Library serves and sustains our community by fostering learning, discovery and skill enhancement. With accessible facilities and online resources, the library provides lifelong learning opportunities through book and media collections, cultural and educational programming, electronic resources and innovative technology. The library teaches early literacy skills, fosters the love of reading and develops critical and creative thinking skills among children, teens, and adults by offering services and programs that provide academic support and intellectual growth. The Library provides access to and training in technology and digital information and pursues partnerships that enrich services, expand outreach, and leverage public investment through private support.
Intern Duties & Qualifications
The ideal intern candidate will have a keen interest working with community and government-based metadata and using library principles to organize that data for public access. The Scottsdale Public Library is looking to mentor an outgoing self-starter who would like to gain experience working on digital metadata project using the Library’s Polaris Fusion module. The Digital Collection Intern will be responsible for preparing digital content in various formats for inclusion in the library’s ongoing digital collection and then cataloging that content using the library principles of classification and access. We are recruiting an intern who possesses the following qualifications:
· Passion for details
· Professional communication style
· Positive, can-do attitude
· Knowledge of library cataloging principles
· Willingness to contribute ideas
· Experience working with Photoshop or Photo Elements
· Comfort working in a team environment
· Must be enrolled half-time in at least 6 credit hours with a current GPA of 3.0 or above
As an intern with the Scottsdale Public Library the successful candidate will learn practical and valuable skills working for a community-based organization. The Scottsdale Public Library will meet all academic requirements needed to qualify this internship for course credit.
Internship Criteria
The Collection Management and Metadata Services department (CMMS) supports the teaching and professional development of graduate and undergraduate students by serving as a venue for internships. Internships are time-limited, unpaid*, structured professional work experiences that allow students to apply knowledge gained in their studies in a workplace environment. Internship requests are considered based on their alignment with the department’s goals and Scottsdale Public Library’s efforts to improve and develop our Scottsdale Heritage Connection digital collection.
Internships in CMMS are for currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students seeking degrees in Library Science.
Internships are offered physically, usually once per year, during the Spring semester. The Library will review each internship applicant on a case-by-case basis, depending on the availability of staffing and resources. The Library reserves the right to decline an internship request based on availability of staff and resources.
The following are examples of the internship work plan:
- Scan, archive and catalog photographs
- Evaluate, scan, archive and catalog slides
- Learn to convert, edit, harvest images and process video metadata
- Document, research, and catalog a historic Scottsdale landmark
To apply please send a cover letter and resume to Michelle Vorves - MVorves@ScottsdaleAZ.gov by November 22, 2024.