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Learning Lab: How to apply

Learn more about the Learning Lab at the UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center. This guide is specifically for students who are interested in applying to become a Learning Lab intern.

Step 1: Do I Qualify?

Your first step in applying for the Learning Lab is to confirm the following credentials: 

  • You will be an undergraduate for the following academic year
  • You can commit 10 hours of work per week during the academic year
  • You want to learn about primary source research

While we do accept sophomores, we give preference to those who will be juniors and seniors during their internship. 

Step 2: Read About the Program

Read about the program here in this LibGuide and on our website to see if this program interests you. If you want further information or would like to discuss it in more detail, please contact the program director, Carol Street at carolstreet [at] uky [dot] edu. 

Step 3: Select a Collection

Read through the list of available collections and select one or two that interest you. The available collections are all located under the "Available Collections" tab in this LibGuide. Think about what interests you about the collections and explore ideas you might have on what research using those materials would look like. You will be asked to write a brief essay (under 250 words) in the application to describe your interests and what you hope to learn from working with these primary sources.

Since all of these collections are unprocessed, that means we haven't yet organized and described them and they are not available for researchers outside of the Learning Lab. We have a general idea about what is in the collection, but we don't always know exactly what we will find once we open the box. You will be the one to open the box for the first time to explore and spend time with the papers, photographs, or whatever else is in your collection. For that reason, our descriptions, particularly for larger collections, will be fairly generalized. We will have more specific information for smaller collections.

No matter the size of the collection, think about the subject, why you are interested in it, and what you would hope to learn from it. You are welcome to look at previous Learning Lab intern projects for ideas on how other students explored their collections. We don't expect you to have a detailed essay at this point, but we are looking for curiosity, interest in research, and creative ideas.  Your essay is the most important element of your application.

Step 4: APPLY!

Now that you've selected the collection or collections you're interested in and written your essay, then the only thing to do is to apply for the internship at https://ukjobs.uky.edu/postings/454991 by April 24, 2023. 

We plan to notify applicants regarding acceptance by May 12, 2023.