Archives Intern

POSITION DESCRIPTION

ARCHIVES INTERN

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a National Historic Landmark and accredited museum in Miami, Florida (www.vizcaya.org). Vizcaya Museum and Gardens seeks agraduate student to help with the documentation of existing archival collections and aid in their continued preservation. The intern will assist the Museum Archivist with several ongoing projects, including a condition assessment of James Deering’s historic library and the digitization of the historic correspondence collection. The intern will work extensively in Vizcaya’s digital collections management system (CMS) and will gain experience in collections care, metadata, and digitization. This internship is on the Engagement & Cultural Resources Team in the Art & Artifact Stewardship Department, and reports to the Museum Archivist.

Vizcaya is owned by Miami-Dade County and is operated by the non-profit Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Trust, Inc. Our mission is to preserve the estate’s cultural and environmental resources to engage people in connecting with the past, understanding the present and shaping the future. Our vision is to position Vizcaya as an enduring, inclusive and innovative place that inspires people to embrace the cultural vitality and environmental sustainability of the world around us.

Essential Functions 

• Assessment of James Deering’s historic library for preservation concerns
• Physical preservation of James Deering's historic library including cleaning and rehousing materials as necessary
• Digitization of historic materialsincluding image capture, image editing, creation of master and access files in accordance with Vizcaya’s digitization plan
• Creation ofdescriptive metadata in accordance with Vizcaya’s digitization plan

This intern description is not designed to be comprehensive; duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Learning Opportunities

• Intern will work closely with the Museum Archivist in a historic house museum
• Intern will learn to work with historic, primary-source text materials and rare books
• Intern will learn to digitize historic materials and create metadata that will allow for enhanced accessibility
• Intern will learn basic collections care methods including rehousing and cleaning materials

Position Requirements

• Master’s candidate in library and information science,public history, humanities, museum studies, or a related discipline
• Interest in collections management, archives, and historic preservation
• Comfortable handling potentially fragile collection materials
• Knowledge of metadata creation and use for archival materials
• Familiarity with Library of Congress subject headings
• Strong organizational skills, especially to track individual files and their status
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
• Familiarity with Terentia CMS or other collections management systems
• Strong time management skills to adhere to a schedule
• Ability to accurately manage files and tasks through verbal and written instructions
• A commitment to an inclusive, welcoming and respectful environment for visitors, volunteers, and employees of diverse backgrounds and needs
• Strong verbal communication skills to ask questions and to seek support from colleagues or a supervisor

Compensation

The salary for this internship is $19/hour.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

The majority of work is done in an office setting, involving interaction with museum colleagues, work with a computer and flatbed scanner and work with historic archival materials. There is some exposure to dust and dirt. This job requires the ability to lift 40 pounds and have certain hand dexterity and body awareness. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Vizcaya is a non-smoking environment.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work/Schedule

This is a part–time temporary internship (12 hours per week), for twenty-four weeks, scheduled between October 7, 2024 – April 18th, 2025, for a total maximum of 288 hours. This schedule includes a pause for winter breaks, coinciding with the typical US college schedule. The intern will work during regular office hours; weekly hours are flexible but must coincide with department office hours (Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)

To Apply

Please send resume and cover letter expressing how your interest and experience align with the position description to: Internship@vizcaya.org. Please reference the internship title in the subject line of your email. 

Equal Opportunity Employer

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is committed to equity and inclusion and is engaged in a strategic process to ensure that our staff, Board and volunteers reflect our community’s diversity. Vizcaya welcomes applicants from groups that are underrepresented in cultural organizations and seeks to recruit, develop and retain a diverse workforce. 

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is an equal opportunity employer. Vizcaya respects people of all backgrounds and does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, familial status, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, status as a victim of domestic violence, dating violence or stalking, or other applicable legally protected characteristics protected by law.