Archives and Exhibits Intern

Position Title

Archives and Exhibits Intern

Department

Historic Sites

Semester

Fall 2025 (September-December)

Hours Per Week

15

Location

Split time between Historic Forestville Visitor Center and Gale Family Library/Collections. 

Historic Forestville

Located within Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

21899 County Rd 118

Preston, MN 55965

Gale Family Library

Located at the Minnesota History Center

345 W. Kellogg Blvd.

Saint Paul, MN 55102
 

Project Summary

The Archives and Exhibit Intern at Historic Forestville will spend the majority of their time working with site staff to help the site establish intellectual control over the on-site archival collections by processing the collections, creating finding aids, transcribing documents, and assisting with deaccessioning and document restoration as necessary. In addition, the intern will also help create a small exhibit on a topic related to Forestville and/or SE Minnesota. 

Ideal Degrees

A completed or in-progress degree in library/archival science, public history, history, computer science, social sciences, or related fields is desired.  Current or prospective MLIS students are particularly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Create a schedule that works for you and communicate any changes or needs in advance
Work with your supervisor to set goals and co-create a learning plan that will support those goals
Complete any required reading/research, and be ready to discuss and ask questions
Work with other staff and technology to characterize, process, ingest, describe, and store on site museum archival collections
Complete a small exhibit to be temporarily displayed in permanent case in Formal Parlor.
 

Qualifications

Previous experience working with archives or doing historical research
Ability to move back and forth between theoretical/overview and detailed/technical levels of a project
Ability to work well independently and in a team setting
Ability to dive into new topics, think critically to solve problems, willingness to experiment with different tactics and techniques
Preference will be given to candidates who are familiar with or have experience in one or more of Minnesota’s diverse communities
 

Knowledge Intern is Expected to Gain

This internship is focused on the technical aspects of processing a large archival collection, particularly using digital archival techniques to organize and establish intellectual control over the collection
At the end of the internship, the intern can expect to have experience processing archival collections, gain some knowledge and experience in document preservation, and be introduced to the practices of educational exhibit design.

How to Apply

Send a cover letter, resume, and any required additional materials to internships@mnhs.org. 

At MNHS, we don’t just accept difference--we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on diversity for the benefit of our volunteers, interns, employees, our products and services, and our community. The Minnesota Historical Society believes that an inclusive culture among our team members is critical to our success as a historical society, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. The Minnesota Historical Society is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.