Job Details
Job Location
National Building Museum - Main Office - Washington, DC
Position Type
Internship
Description
Organization Summary
The National Building Museum inspires curiosity about the world we design and build.
We are a private, nonprofit institution, created by Congress in 1980 to commemorate American achievements in architecture, design, and engineering and to encourage excellence in the building arts. Today, the National Building Museum transforms understanding of the history and impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and design. Through exhibitions, educational programs, and special events, we welcome all ages to experience stories about the built world and its power to shape our lives, communities, and futures.
Our Commitment
At the Museum, we pursue diversity and endeavor to create an inclusive and accessible environment for our staff, visitors, stakeholders, and Board members. We value diverse perspectives and believe the power of diversity enriches us all. Creating an inclusive environment is critical to every individual's work. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply.
Position Description
The National Building Museum is currently seeking a graduate-level intern to help organize, catalogue, scan, and rehouse photographs from our Wurts Brothers Photography Collection. The Wurts Collection consists of 12,000 prints, 3,000 glass negatives and 6,000 Flex negatives dating from the late 19th and early 20th century. The collection was catalogued in the 1980s and again in the 1990s and as part of a multi-year, grant funded project the Museum is working on bringing the data up to current standards and scanning all of the photographs. The Photography intern will work with the Photography Collections Specialist to continue cataloging and scanning the historical prints in the collection in preparation for uploading the records to the Museum's Past Perfect database and collections website. Interns must be currently enrolled in a graduate program. Hours of position are flexible, but must occur on Monday - Thursday; between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. The dates of this internship assignment are January 2023 - May 2023, with a requirement of 15-20 hours per week.
Interns will be provided with a $2,000 stipend for their work on this project. We will also work with your graduate program to ensure you receive academic credit for your work, if possible.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Photography Collections Specialist to recatalogue, scan, and rehouse photographs from the Wurts Brothers Photography Collection
  • Undergo object handling training
  • Undergo cataloging training and review
• Enter data into excel spreadsheets for bulk upload into the Museum's collections management database and collections website
• Research into the content and location of photographs, as needed
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications
Qualifications and Requirements

• Candidate must be enrolled in a Graduate Program
• Previous experience with museum collections preferred
• Knowledge of proper archival and collections management techniques
• Self-starter that can work independently
• Be creative and a problem solver
• Ability to work well in a team environment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.