Open Publishing Program Bednar Intern

The Pennsylvania State University•University Park, FL

1d•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. Applicants should have an interest in communications, publishing, or a related field, and most importantly have a strong commitment to DEI and accessibility and to learning how these important efforts relate to open access and library publishing. This position has the potential for a hybrid work option after onboarding and training is complete. 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 applicants.
Interest in communications, publishing, or a related field.
Strong commitment to DEI and accessibility and to learning how these important efforts relate to open access and library publishing.
Successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of graphic design is helpful but not required.
Recommended to be a member of the University Libraries Student Advisory Group.

Responsibilities

Support the Open Publishing program in their efforts to expand and enhance the open access publishing services it offers.
Provide content support for publications, both on the website and PDF versions of the publications.
Provide document accessibility support for all publication types.
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.
Participate in the Student Employee Showcase held each April to showcase student projects.