Conservation FAQs

Student Employment

Opportunities

Student assistants are vital to the goals of the Conservation Facility. We hire about fifteen students for the academic year. In addition to fall and spring semesters, we have employment opportunities during Wintersession and summer. Prior to employment consideration, there is a thirty-minute interview which includes a simple dexterity test.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The work consists of the treatment of items from our General Collection. We use methods which adhere to book conservation techniques and principles. The bulk of treatments involve the enclosure of brittle books, repair of damaged book spines, and pamphlet binders. There are other treatments as well as the regular care of tools we use.

QUALIFICATIONS

An applicant should enjoy working with her hands and not mind getting glue on them. She should have good manual dexterity and be able to work with concentration on details. She should also be able and willing to lift rolls of bookcloth, to use papercutters and other sharp tools, and to learn to safely use a forty-inch boardshear.

HOURS AND PAY

The operating hours of the Conservation Facility are Monday through Friday, 8:30am - 5pm (closed between noon and 1pm). We are situated in a locked facility in which only workers and other library associates have card access to. For safety reasons, a student has to be paired with at least one other student. Once you commit to specific hours, it is very important that you fulfill that commitment. If you don't work, the other student may not be able to work either.

HOW TO APPLY

Fill out a simple interest form.

Or, call Emily Bell at 781.283.3595

If all goes well, we need to schedule an interview so you will have an opportunity to see what we do and to take a dexterity test. The interview should take about thirty minutes.

See What Students Have to Say About Working in the Conservation Facility