IHR Internships
The IHR offers several paid internships each year. The Internships are intended to support new researchers in developing their skills with a view to broadening their experience and making new and lasting contacts within and beyond the historical research community. IHR interns work on specially tailored projects which are specifically intended to enhance their professional and intellectual development. At the same time, they benefit from engaging with a supportive and friendly community of like-minded scholars in the heart of Bloomsbury.
2024 Internships
VCH Digitisation Internship
The Victoria County History (VCH) digitisation internship will provide you with the fantastic opportunity to contribute to a major new digital humanities project based at the Institute of Historical Research (IHR). In this role, you will receive specialised supervision from our friendly team of experts based at our Centre for the History of People, Place and Community, as well as additional support from our IHR Library & Digital staff.
A large number of our VCH volumes are already digitally available via the IHR’s British History Online (BHO) platform. Notwithstanding, there is still work to be done. As the intern on this project you will be tasked with, and will receive credit for, a number of tasks. These will include the verification of VCH materials that are in preparation for publication on BHO before they are sent for transcription. You will also help us build anticipation for the future release of new VCH materials on BHO, including supporting our social media pages and helping to prepare materials ahead of its launch. Importantly, you will be supported to develop a research-focused blog post and/or mini article based on your internship project in accordance with your own specific interests. Themes could include (but are certainly not limited to):
the challenges and opportunities of digital humanities projects
the benefits of the digital humanities for place-based research
how the nature and use of visual sources has changed within VCH volumes over the course of the twentieth century
what you have learnt and enjoyed as an IHR intern
This internship might be of particular benefit if you are interested in:
developing your experience in the digital humanities sector
a career in publishing and editing
practical experience of place-based and local histories
This internship is designed for an individual who is looking to improve their digital skills and learn more about the digitisation process. You will therefore need basic computer skills and should feel comfortable using Microsoft software and Adobe,but will also be provided with straightforward instructions to guide you throughout the digitisation process.
There will be opportunities for you to visit the IHR during the internship, meet with staff involved with the VCH digitisation process, and view the original VCH volumes. While at the IHR, you will also be able to take part in the Institute’s broader community by attending events in your field of interest, using the library, and spending time in the common room. However, this internship could be undertaken remotely if required.
This internship is conceived as a ‘summer’ project, but specific dates can be decided in conversation between the appointed intern and IHR team.
If you have any questions about this internship, please contact Dr Ruth Slatter (ruth.slatter@sas.ac.uk)
Deadline: 31 May 2024 at 11.59PM
Bursary value: £1,500
Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) Internship
The BBIH Internship will help to create a new online help pack to increase awareness of how students, academics and researchers can use BBIH to study, teach and research the histories of one or more of the following:
- Environmental history
- Social class
- Health (e.g. mental health and dis/ability)
This is an exciting opportunity to get involved with an internationally recognised resource for historical scholarship, whilst staying informed of the latest academic developments in your research and/or teaching field.
As an intern you will gain a range of practical editorial knowledge and develop your promotional and writing skills through the following internship activities:
- Creating tutorial video(s) on using BBIH to research one or more of the areas identified above.
- Review of subject specific BBIH classification terms, recommending suggested changes and additions.
- BBIH editorial work focusing on one or more of the areas identified above.
- Blog post for On History.
- BBIH social media planning for the IHR’s social channels.
The internship can mostly be held remotely, though we would encourage some in-person visits to the IHR.
The internship should ideally be held during the period from July 2024 to the end of September 2024. The internship will not require full-time commitment during this time, and there is flexibility around how the intern would like to organise their project (for example, alongside part-time work or studying commitments). This will be agreed with the project supervisor at the start.
About the Bibliography of British and Irish History
BBIH is an essential tool for the study, research, and teaching of British and Irish history. It is the largest and most comprehensive resource available to what has been written about British and Irish history, from the early 1900s to the present. Spanning a period from 55 BCE to the present day, the Bibliography covers both the domestic and global histories of the British Isles, including the colonial, imperial and indigenous histories of the former empire and Commonwealth.
BBIH is an essential resource for study, research, and teaching, providing up-to-date information (and links) on over 650,000 history books, articles, chapters, edited collections, and some PhD theses. New records are added in three annual updates, with c.10,000 new publications added each year. These records are searchable by a wide range of facets including title, author, chronology, date and form of publication, historical topic, and geographical region.
The Bibliography is a research project of the UK’s Institute of Historical Research (IHR) and the Royal Historical Society (RHS), and is published by Brepols.
If you have any questions about this internship, please contact Jenny Lelkes-Rarugal (BBIH@sas.ac.uk)
Deadline: 31 May 2024 at 11.59PM
Bursary value: £1,500
History Day Internship
The History Day internship is an opportunity to get involved in organising a lively and enjoyable event. You will receive supervision from the event organisers at the Institute of Historical Research library and Senate House Library. The role will be ideal for anyone wanting to gain more experience in communications, marketing and events organisation in the history, library and archive sectors.
History Day is an annual fair in Senate House, University of London which celebrates library, archive, museum, gallery and digital collections. It brings together researchers and collections professionals in person and online. You will help to promote the event to a broad audience (both academic and public) and contribute on the day, including welcoming people, posting on social media and interviewing participants. As an intern you will gain practical experience in public engagement work, technical and communication skills, and have the opportunity to reflect on the day and feed into future events.
Typical activities include:
• Research and identification of places and audiences for promotion.
• Supporting lead-up to History Day with marketing and communication ideas.
• Contribute to discussions about promoting hybrid events.
• Support website editing to promote the event and showcase contributions from participating organisations.
• Collaborate with event organisers to create engaging activities for the day (online and in-person).
• Support at the event itself by interacting with attendees, social media and filming.
• Post-event reflection and evaluation, including a blog post.
While at the IHR, you will be part of the Institute’s broader community, with opportunities to attend events in your field of interest and use the library. The placement can be partly carried out remotely, although we encourage in-person visits to Senate House, and you should commit to being available on Tuesday 5 November for the event itself. The timing is flexible but we propose mid-August to mid-November.
You will need basic computer skills, with knowledge of Office software. You should be familiar with social media platforms and their use to create engaging history-related content. Ideally you will have some experience with web editing and multi-media software, although training will be given. You will be creative and a good communicator, with lateral thinking skills to help us reach new audiences.
If you have any questions about this internship please contact Kate Wilcox and Argula Rublack (historyday@london.ac.uk)
Deadline: 31 May 2024 at 11.59PM
Bursary value: £1,500
Feedback from our 2021 Interns
"The internship experience will be greatly beneficial for my future career prospects... providing me with experience which is incredibly valuable for my applications for postdoctoral fellowship schemes." Dr Joe Chick whose work focused on the VCH smartphone app A History of English Places.
"It is likely that I would have needed to commit myself entirely to non-academic work and potentially moved away from academia permanently…In short, the internship has been invaluable to me both personally and in scholarship." Dr Hannah Parker, History and Policy.
"The stipend for this project made it financially feasible to take on this work... and it has been such a rewarding and enriching experience!" Vesna Curlic, 2nd year doctoral student.
