Volunteer and Internship Opportunities

Volunteers

Library volunteers play an important role at Mount Vernon.  If you have experience working in a library, have strong computer skills, or  have research abilities, we may have the perfect opportunity for you.  Some of the tasks assigned to our volunteers include:

• Making book boxes for rare books
• Searching of bibliographic databases
• Re-shelving books
• Assisting with inventories
• Re-housing manuscripts and special collections

During the interview we will learn of your interests and skills and work with you to match them to a specific task. Volunteers may work during library hours, Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm.  Volunteers normally live within commuting distance and must be 18 years or older.  For further information, contact  Joan Stahl,  Head Librarian (703-799-8637; jstahl@mountvernon.org) or Mount Vernon's Volunteer Office (703-799-6898; volinfo@mountvernon.org).

Interns

The Library invites applications for unpaid internships of varying lengths, including semester, summer, and year-long internships.

We will work with the intern to develop a project that meets the needs of both the intern's college program and the library. In addition to participating in the  day-to-day operations of the library, the student will work on a larger project involving the library’s collections or services. That project will be determined by both the needs of the library and the requirements of the student's course of study, and may include aspects of archives, preservation, and cataloging.

Ideal candidates will be familiar with the basic concepts and operations of libraries and have an interest in special libraries.  Basic computer skills and coursework in 18th-century American history are assets.

Interns must be able to work a minimum of 4 hours/week during library hours, Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm.

If interested, please send a résumé, contact information for two references, and a project description (if you already have a project in mind) to Joan Stahl,  Head Librarian (703-799-8637; jstahl@mountvernon.org).