Explore the Wonders of Public History at The Lewes Historical Society with a Summer Internship

Lewes, Delaware – The Lewes Historical Society is seeking applicants for its 2017 summer internship program. Internships must be completed over the summer (May – August). Start and end days are negotiable based on your academic calendar.

Located in Sussex County in southern Delaware where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean the Lewes area is rich in history dating back to 1631. Lewes has been recognized as a Preserve America Community and is one of America’s “Dozen Distinctive Destinations” identified by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The American Association for State & Local History awarded The Lewes Historical Society its Award of Merit twice for its role in promoting local history.

The completion of an internship with The Lewes Historical Society will help ensure a student’s decision to pursue a career path in the public history field. Candidates with a major in history, archaeology, museum studies, or library science are especially encouraged to apply. Experience with GIS, web site/blog development and databases are appreciated but not required.

Typically, a single stipend internship is awarded per Summer 10 week session, though each internship is also available for class credit for students currently enrolled in a BA level college or university History/Social Science related program.

Collections and Research Internship-

This 10-week program will be split into two unique sections. The first portion of this program allows interns to explore the collections at The Lewes Historical Society and work to catalogue objects, working within the Society’s collections software.  Additionally, interns may assist the Executive Director in special projects relating to the care, maintenance, or display of objects. The second portion of this internship requires interns to perform extensive research and fieldwork on a topic of the Executive Director’s suggestion or current need.

At the end of the internship experience, the intern is expected to present a paper or presentation documenting their experience to the Executive Director with the possibility of presenting a second time to other staff members, board members and volunteers. Note:  Interns should have access to a vehicle in order to apply for this internship, though it is not a requirement for consideration.

Education & Visitor Services Internship-

This 10-week program allows students the opportunity to explore the field of informal education in a history-museum setting.  This program is designed for interns to gain first-hand experience in informal program development/execution, tour design, and volunteer training. Interns will be expected to become familiar with specific educational theories and practices. Interns will absorb this material by participating in the training of tour guides and visitor services representatives.

Interns will also assist in educational programming such as the History Happy Hour lecture series. Interns will also have the chance to preset during outreach programs to the public. At the end of the internship experience, interns will present a paper documenting his/her experience to the Director of Education.

The Lewes Historical Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in regard to age, sex, race, creed, national origin, disability, handicap, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.

For more information including application specifics, stipend figures, and details about the Society’s General Public History Internship please visit https://www.historiclewes.org/2017-public-history-internships or contact Marcos Salaverria, Director of Education at 302-645-7670 or by email at [email protected].