What are the responsibilities and job description for the Cultural Collections & Archival Summer Internship position at Ganna Walska Lotusland?
Title: Cultural Collections and Archival Summer Internship
Classification: Part Time (8-20 -hour work week), non-exempt
Department: Cultural Collections and Archives
Reports To: Cultural Collections & Archives Specialist
Compensation: Unpaid (can be used for class credit)
Schedule: Variable days and times, Monday – Friday between 10 am – 5 pm.
We will work with your schedule.
About Lotusland:
Ganna Walska Lotusland is a 37-acre botanical garden and historic estate located in Montecito featuring a collection of over 3,000 plant species from around the world as well as historically significant Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Since opening to the public in 1993, Ganna Walska Lotusland has grown to become one of the world’s premier botanical gardens and a center for sustainable garden practices, horticultural education, and plant conservation.
Mission Statement:
Our mission is to preserve and enhance the distinctive botanical gardens of Madame Ganna Walska. Lotusland educates and inspires visitors with its collections, sustainable horticulture practices, and plant conservation.
Position Summary:
This internship for academic credit will expose the intern to hands-on archival and collection-based work at a small institution. The intern will assist with archival processing, archival and museum storage, and data management. The collection is composed of a range of materials including traditional archives, costumes and textiles, fine art, garden sculpture, audiovisual materials, and architectural detail.
We will work with the intern’s interests to create a project that will be seen to completion. The intern will contribute to an ongoing initiative to create an accessible, searchable, and complete inventory of historical and institutional collections for the use of Lotusland staff and researchers.
The intern will be trained in best practices of collection management, processing, arrangement, description, rehousing, metadata creation and maintenance, and preservation of various materials. By the end of the internship, the intern will understand the importance of archives and collections as it provides value to the staff of the institution but also preserves an important piece of local history.
About the collection:
The cultural collections and archives at Lotusland can be seen as four distinct collections:
Your health and safety are our top priorities when working at Lotusland. Here is what you must do to always be safe and compliant:
Additional Information
Accountability: We take ownership of the commitments we make, holding ourselves accountable for our actions and decisions, both to ourselves and those we lead.
Teamwork and Collaboration: Our roles are interdependent, requiring intentional collaboration within teams to consistently achieve our mission.
Communication: Effective communication is crucial for building trust among our staff, board, and the larger community. We strive to share information clearly, consistently, and in a timely manner to foster understanding and commitment across our organization.
Trust: We aim to cultivate mutual respect and open communication throughout the organization. Employees are encouraged to openly share their perspectives and feel secure in taking risks to enhance effectiveness.
Integrity: Aligned with our guiding principles of honesty, fairness, and decency, we promote a strong ethic of integrity among individuals and leaders.
Lotusland is an equal opportunity employer. We acknowledge that equal employment opportunity for all persons is a fundamental human value. Each employee will be considered based on individual ability and merit, without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sex, or marital status.
For more information visit www.lotusland.org
No recruiters or agency calls please.
No recruiters or agency calls please.
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Classification: Part Time (8-20 -hour work week), non-exempt
Department: Cultural Collections and Archives
Reports To: Cultural Collections & Archives Specialist
Compensation: Unpaid (can be used for class credit)
Schedule: Variable days and times, Monday – Friday between 10 am – 5 pm.
We will work with your schedule.
About Lotusland:
Ganna Walska Lotusland is a 37-acre botanical garden and historic estate located in Montecito featuring a collection of over 3,000 plant species from around the world as well as historically significant Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Since opening to the public in 1993, Ganna Walska Lotusland has grown to become one of the world’s premier botanical gardens and a center for sustainable garden practices, horticultural education, and plant conservation.
Mission Statement:
Our mission is to preserve and enhance the distinctive botanical gardens of Madame Ganna Walska. Lotusland educates and inspires visitors with its collections, sustainable horticulture practices, and plant conservation.
Position Summary:
This internship for academic credit will expose the intern to hands-on archival and collection-based work at a small institution. The intern will assist with archival processing, archival and museum storage, and data management. The collection is composed of a range of materials including traditional archives, costumes and textiles, fine art, garden sculpture, audiovisual materials, and architectural detail.
We will work with the intern’s interests to create a project that will be seen to completion. The intern will contribute to an ongoing initiative to create an accessible, searchable, and complete inventory of historical and institutional collections for the use of Lotusland staff and researchers.
The intern will be trained in best practices of collection management, processing, arrangement, description, rehousing, metadata creation and maintenance, and preservation of various materials. By the end of the internship, the intern will understand the importance of archives and collections as it provides value to the staff of the institution but also preserves an important piece of local history.
About the collection:
The cultural collections and archives at Lotusland can be seen as four distinct collections:
- Madame Ganna Walska Collection, which includes Madame’s personal belongings, such as costume and personal papers
- Lotusland Historical and Institutional Collection, which includes administrative records and historical documents relating to Lotusland as an institution
- Architectural and Decorative Art Collection, which includes architectural details original to the estate and decorative sculpture, in the garden and in the various structures across the property
- Botanical Library Collection, which includes books, periodicals, and journals relating to plants, gardens, and botany as well as books relating to Madame Ganna Walska and Lotusland
- Folder-level processing within a predetermined arrangement
- Describing collections with DACS and controlled vocabularies
- Data entry and metadata clean-up
- Organizing unprocessed materials
- Cataloguing and condition reporting of photographs, illustrations, blueprints, garden designs, garden sculptures, paintings, architectural features, and audiovisual material
- Other duties as assigned
- Attention to detail and focus, especially when it comes to repetitive tasks
- An interest in collections maintenance, database management, and history
- Ability to use cell phone to complete tasks (our inventory software, CatalogIt, is image based and requires photos of entries)
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel
- Ability to lift boxes of approximately 25 lbs.
- Ability to work independently under supervision
- Reliable transportation for onsite work; no possibility for remote work
Your health and safety are our top priorities when working at Lotusland. Here is what you must do to always be safe and compliant:
- Always use appropriate PPE. More information and training will be provided to the selected candidate.
- Lotusland's administrative offices are on a historic 2-story estate in a 37-acre garden.
- At desk to use computer
- Frequent kneeling, bending, lifting (25 lbs.).
Additional Information
- Employment background/criminal check is required.
- DEADLINE for submission June 18. 2026
Accountability: We take ownership of the commitments we make, holding ourselves accountable for our actions and decisions, both to ourselves and those we lead.
Teamwork and Collaboration: Our roles are interdependent, requiring intentional collaboration within teams to consistently achieve our mission.
Communication: Effective communication is crucial for building trust among our staff, board, and the larger community. We strive to share information clearly, consistently, and in a timely manner to foster understanding and commitment across our organization.
Trust: We aim to cultivate mutual respect and open communication throughout the organization. Employees are encouraged to openly share their perspectives and feel secure in taking risks to enhance effectiveness.
Integrity: Aligned with our guiding principles of honesty, fairness, and decency, we promote a strong ethic of integrity among individuals and leaders.
Lotusland is an equal opportunity employer. We acknowledge that equal employment opportunity for all persons is a fundamental human value. Each employee will be considered based on individual ability and merit, without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sex, or marital status.
For more information visit www.lotusland.org
No recruiters or agency calls please.
No recruiters or agency calls please.
Powered by JazzHR
j7azwDBywG