May 4, 1999

The Philadelphia City Archives Announces:

For Summer 1999 or Fall 1999 semesters

The Philadelphia City Archives is seeking interns to assist with the CRIMINAL COURT RECORDS SAMPLING PROJECT. Continuing through 1999, the project focuses on criminal court records for Philadelphia County with work on the 1950s presently underway. Project staff use a sampling methodology to select records from inactive Court of Common Pleas files to be preserved as a representative body of information about crime in Philadelphia. Internships will provide an opportunity to work in a public records agency and apply research, writing, and critical skills.

We need interns who would be interested in working on a regular basis (preferably 7-14 hours per week) throughout the semester to assist with the following activities:

• conducting background research on crime and criminals in newspaper files from the City Representatives Office to identify significant cases
• working with a database of information about records selected for permanent retention
• researching original court docket indexes at the Criminal Justice Center in Center City to identify cases to be included in the sample
• assisting project staff with all aspects of the project

These internships are unpaid. Archives staff is willing to cooperate with supervising faculty or internship program personnel at the student?s college or university so the student may receive course credit for the internship experience.

The City Archives is a branch of the Philadelphia Department of Records. Interns will work under the supervision of Archives staff in the City?s newly renovated records facility. The Archives is located at the 30^th Street stop on the Market-Frankford subway and is convenient to other transit routes serving the 30^th Street station. The Archives is open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F. Work involving examination of docket indexes is conducted at the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert Street. Intern assignments are available at either location.

Requirements: Applications from candidates in any academic field are welcome. Background in history or social/behavioral sciences is helpful. Schedules are flexible; various assignments are available depending on experience and interest. Applicants should be patient and detail-oriented.

To apply: Contact Ward Childs, City Archivist, at (215) 685-9401.