Open Publishing Program Bednar Intern

Penn State University•University Park, IL

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Open Publishing program of the University Libraries invites third- and fourth-year Penn State undergraduate applicants for the Open Publishing Program Intern position, available through the Libraries’ Bednar Internship program. The Open Publishing Program Bednar Intern will report to the Open Publishing Production Specialist and Accessibility Coordinator and will work with them to support the Open Publishing program by enhancing it and its services. The internship will run from the beginning of the Fall semester 2026 until the end of the Spring semester 2027. The primary role of the Bednar Intern will be to support the Open Publishing program in their efforts to expand and enhance the open access publishing services it offers. Specifically, the Intern may support editors throughout the publishing process by providing content support for publications, both on the website and PDF versions of the publications. The intern will provide document accessibility support for all publication types and may attend professional development opportunities such as digital accessibility conferences. The intern will also support journal editors and authors by completing publishing tasks that may include assigning DOIs, uploading content into the journal submission system, and creating journal issues. Additionally, the intern may support open educational resource (OER) content published in the Open Publishing program and other Open Publishing projects as needed. The Bednar Intern will have additional duties related to the Internship program. Interns must prepare a brief report summarizing their experience at the end of their internship. These reports are shared with the endowment donors and are maintained in the Administrative Office and become part of the permanent records. All Bednar Interns are required to participate in monthly Community of Practice (COP) meetings, which involve virtual discussions and short assignments via Canvas and are intended to help students learn about the library and meet other interns. The interns are also asked to participate in the Student Employee Showcase held each April to showcase student projects. The COP helps the intern write the stewardship letter and prepare for the student showcase. As part of the Bednar Internship Program, it is recommended the intern be a member of the University Libraries Student Advisory Group.

Requirements

Third- and fourth-year Penn State undergraduate applicant
Interest in communications, publishing, or a related field
Strong commitment to DEI and accessibility
Commitment to learning how DEI and accessibility relate to open access and library publishing
Successful completion of background check(s)

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of graphic design

Responsibilities

Support the Open Publishing program by enhancing it and its services
Support editors throughout the publishing process by providing content support for publications, both on the website and PDF versions of the publications
Provide document accessibility support for all publication types
Attend professional development opportunities such as digital accessibility conferences
Support journal editors and authors by completing publishing tasks that may include assigning DOIs, uploading content into the journal submission system, and creating journal issues
Support open educational resource (OER) content published in the Open Publishing program and other Open Publishing projects as needed
Prepare a brief report summarizing their experience at the end of their internship
Participate in monthly Community of Practice (COP) meetings, which involve virtual discussions and short assignments via Canvas
Participate in the Student Employee Showcase held each April to showcase student projects
Write the stewardship letter and prepare for the student showcase (with COP help)
Be a member of the University Libraries Student Advisory Group (recommended)