Resource Resources: Archives Intern – Archives

Job Description

[Fall 2026] Research Resources – Archives Internship | Whitney Museum of American Art

The Tone:
This is a hybrid internship at the Whitney Museum of American Art, located in New York, NY. The Whitney, founded by artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, is renowned for housing the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Its core mission involves collecting, preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting American art of our time, serving diverse audiences and championing innovative artists. This internship plays a crucial role in supporting the Museum’s archival collections, which are vital for research and understanding American art history, by providing direct experience in making these resources accessible.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Full-time, Paid, Semester-long
• Location: Hybrid, New York, NY

• Team: Archives team within Research Resources
• Mission: This person supports the Archives team in providing access to primary source materials, assisting researchers, and managing collection metadata to preserve and make accessible the Whitney’s archival collections.
• Tech Stack: ArchivesSpace, DACS, MS Office, spreadsheets, Adobe Photoshop

What You’ll Actually Do
• Reference Services: Provide essential in-person and remote reference services, including responding to inquiries from staff and external researchers, assisting them in accessing archival materials.
• Reading Room Supervision: Supervise the reading room, ensuring a productive environment for on-site researchers and offering direct assistance during their visits.
• Collection Access: Efficiently page physical collections from storage for scheduled researcher appointments, ensuring timely availability of materials.
• Digital Preservation: Digitize select archival materials and prepare digital surrogates, contributing to the long-term preservation and broader accessibility of the collections.
• Metadata Management: Edit collection metadata using ArchivesSpace, ensuring accuracy and discoverability for researchers navigating the archives.

The Must-Haves
• Background: This internship is for a student currently enrolled in an accredited academic program, who has completed a minimum of one year’s worth of academic coursework. Expected academic preparation includes coursework in library and information science, archives, public history, or another related field is expected.
• Experience: Candidates must demonstrate familiarity with the function and purpose of archival finding aids. While a demonstrated interest in art and art history is preferred, previous museum experience is not required. Applicants from all majors are encouraged to apply.
• Skills: The successful intern will possess the ability to work independently with sharp attention to detail, crucial for archival tasks. An interest in modern and contemporary American art and museum work is also important for understanding the context of the collections.
• Bonus: Knowledge of specific tools and standards such as ArchivesSpace, DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), MS Office, spreadsheets, and/or Adobe Photoshop is considered a plus for this role.