Intern (Library)

ISEAS Library houses a unique collection of Southeast Asian materials on the area of economics, politics, international relations, social and cultural studies, built up over the past five decades. The main collection of printed materials consists of approximately 300,000 volumes of publications. Other collections include 40,000 volumes of journals, some 1,000 maps, and 4,500 microform titles of regional newspapers, journals, theses, rare and antiquarian books and press clippings.

Besides published materials, the Library has custody of over 30 private paper collections from prominent individuals, including Tan Cheng Lock, David Marshall and Tan Chin Tuan. ISEAS Library also has a sizeable collection of photographic, slides and audio-visual materials which document the cultural heritage of Southeast Asia. 

The intern will be based at the ISEAS Library to research and document various collections housed in the Library. The aim is to raise the awareness of the library collections, facilitate their usage as well as promote scholarly research on the region.

The intern will be expected to participate in one or more of the following tasks:

• Conduct research on a topic of their choice based on the various collections housed in the ISEAS Library, and complete two introductory articles (1,000 words each) or a more comprehensive 2,500-word paper based on their research. Some examples of topics include:

  a. Review of travelogues of mainland Southeast Asia from the Antiquarian Books Collection

  b. Review of dictionaries and wordbooks of Southeast Asian languages from the Antiquarian Books Collection

  c. Study of historical Southeast Asian publications on microform

  d. Diasporas in Southeast Asia

• Contribute to the descriptive indexes of Private Papers Collections

Requirements

• Research interest in Southeast Asia

• Good analytical, organizational, and writing skills

• Motivated self-starter with team spirit and initiative

• A strong academic record

• Preference will be given to candidates with proficiency in one or more languages native to Southeast Asia, e.g. Thai, Burmese.

Internship Period: May 2026 – Aug 2026

Application

All applicants must submit the following materials:

• Cover letter

• Curriculum vitae

• A writing sample or a published research paper

• A copy of your academic transcript