Durham Colored Library Intern, Duke Library

Duke University:

 

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

 

 

 

 

 

Durham Colored Library Intern

Job Code/Title:  0059/Library Intern

Department:  Rubenstein Library

Job Level:  56

Supervisor:  

Job Family:  03

FTE:  0.48

FLSA Status:  Non-exempt

Ranked:  No

Term:  August 2024-May 2025

 

 

 

Position Summary

The Durham Colored Library Intern will play a key role in programming and promotion support for the inaugural year of the Durham Colored Library at Duke University Libraries (DUL). Duke University Library’s partnership with the more than century old Durham Colored Library (DCL) is grounded in a commitment to documenting and sharing the Black experience in Durham through storytelling, especially about the lives and legacies of Black professionals and memory workers. The DCL intern will assist DUL’s Community Engagement Coordinator with organizing public programming, promoting events on social media, writing about DCL and Durham history, and oral history engagement work. This internship provides a unique opportunity to engage with cross-institutional and collaborative cultural history preservation and activation. It will provide excellent hands-on experience for candidates seeking a career in public history, community archives, cultural heritage work, or library and information science. Ideal for those passionate about storytelling and Black history, this role offers valuable experience in event planning, digital engagement, and oral history work while fostering connections with local memory workers and cultural institutions.

Responsibilities

• Supports the Community Engagement Coordinator’s organization of DCL-DUL programming through various tasks including: meeting with potential partners, event planning, coordinating with venues and speakers, and social media promotion.
• Collaborates with the Museum of Durham History, the Durham County Library, and Duke Community Affairs (DCA) on projects that support the DCL mission.
• Writes short post content and longer blog pieces about Durham Colored Library history and the DCL-DUL partnership, working with the DUL and DCA Communications departments to broadcast the information across the campus and Durham communities.
• Research and curate content from Duke University sources that highlight Black history and culture.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Learning Objectives

• Hands-on experience planning and coordinating public programs and events.
• Strategies for effective community engagement and cross-institutional collaboration.
• Research and writing skills for public history storytelling and outreach.
• Experience processing and promoting