For Supervisors

The goal of the Archives Concentration at Smith College is to enable students to learn about the institutions and repositories that shape knowledge and understanding of our collective pasts through the collection, preservation, interpretation and display of artifacts, manuscripts and the representation of historic sites. The concentration asks each student to acquire practical, first-hand knowledge of the professional work of archivists, curators and archival researchers through paid internships or volunteer work.

To qualify for credit as a practical experience:

1. the internship or practical experience must be at least 100 hours of work (to receive Praxis funding must be 220 hours. For more information about PRAXIS, visit the CDO Web site;
2. the practical experience should include work assignments that are necessary to the organization and that offer the intern significant learning opportunities.
3. supervision by a skilled professional is essential and should include face-to-face meetings at least once a week;

Some other experiences such as working for faculty members in archival projects through CFCD grants, Quigley fellowships or STRIDE may also qualify as "practical experiences" if they meet the criteria above. A student may not receive academic credit for a practical experience.

Internship Supervisor Form

To arrange an internship, supervisors are asked to supply the following information by March 31.