Belmont Abbey College students interested in the preservation internship must first speak to their academic advisor, and apply to the Career Services and Internships Office for an Internship Contract.
Student Sandra St. John making repairs to a 19th century copy of a document from King Louis IV, France.
Preservation Internship Job Description:
The Preservation Intern will study the following three areas under the supervision of the Preservation Specialist, or other library staff members. Tasks and responsibilities may include the following:
- Bookbinding
- Construction of a sewn, European style binding
- Knowledge of grain direction, book structure, paper types, covering materials and decorative finishing
- Preventative Conservation
- Proper handling techniques
- Cleaning and rehousing rare books and papers
- Transcribing texts in preparation for digital archiving
- Environmental monitoring of Rare Book Rooms
- Interventive Conservation
- Cleaning and repair of an item from the Rare Book Collection
- Knowledge of appropriate methods for dry cleaning, humidifying, and aqueous treatments
- Making wheat starch paste
- Repairing tears in paper, possibly color matching for in-fills
- Minimal binding repair such as board reattachment or sewing
*To fulfill the internship requirements, students must complete 120 hours and a written conservation report detailing treatment decisions, materials and techniques used, with supporting photographs.