Intern - Graduate Archival Processing

TITLE: Intern - Graduate Archival Processing Intern

LOCATION: History Center - 345 W Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102

COMPENSATION: Typical starting salary $16.50 hourly 

HOURS: This is a part-time, temporary position from approximately September 14, 2026 to December 20, 2026. A part-time intern must be available to work 15 hours per week. This position offers a flexible work schedule, coordinated with the intern’s school schedule and operational needs. Preferred working hours are 5 hour shifts, scheduled M-F between 9-5. 

POSTING DATE: June 26, 2026

DEADLINE DATE: July 14, 2026

SEMINAR EVENTS: Interns are required to participate in three, in-person seminars focused on professional development, learning how cultural organizations operate, and building a network of industry professionals. At the end of the semester, interns complete a final presentation to share their work.

           Please ensure you are available for these dates when applying:

• Thursday, September 24 from 11:30am-1:00pm

• Thursday, October 15 

• Thursday, November 12 from 2:00pm-4:00pm

• Final Presentations: Thursday, December 17 from 11:00am-1:00pm

TO APPLY: Interested applicants must apply online at the Minnesota Historical Society’s career center at www.mnhs.org/jobs and include a cover letter, resume, and any required additional materials by the application deadline date.  

APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE: 

• PDF copy of unofficial transcript

DESCRIPTION:  The Archival Processing Intern will gain hands-on, practical experience in the arrangement, description, and preservation of physical and/or digital archival collections. Under the close mentorship of professional staff, the intern will focus heavily on creating structured, standard-compliant finding aids within ArchivesSpace. MNHS is currently migrating its EAD finding aids into the ASpace database and need help ingesting the legacy PDF, Word, and paper-based finding aids into ASpace.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Description & Finding Aid Creation (80%): 1) ArchivesSpace Data Entry: Learn and utilize the backend interface of ArchivesSpace to create collection-level resource records, component lists (series and folders), and accession records; 2) Apply Descriptive Standards: Draft finding aids that comply with Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and utilize Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) for controlled vocabularies; 3) Legacy Data Remediation: Assist in updating or converting older, legacy finding aids (from PDFs or word documents) into clean, structured ArchivesSpace records. Physical Arrangement & Preservation (10%): 4) Review unorganized or semi-organized materials to establish intellectual and physical order (sorting, boxing, and foldering); 5) Perform basic preservation tasks, such as removing damaging fasteners (rusted staples, rubber bands) and housing fragile items in acid-free materials; 6) Create container lists and inventories to map physical locations to the digital finding aid. Professional Development & Support (10%): 7) Participate in departmental meetings to understand larger institutional workflows, collection policies, and donor relations; 8) Complete a final processing project or presentation highlighting the completed collection and its historical significance.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Currently enrolled as a graduate student, or have graduated within the past 12 months at the time of application.

• Ideal candidates might be currently pursuing, or a graduate with a degree in the following areas: ALA-accredited Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS / MLS) program, or a Master’s in History with an Archival Studies concentration.

• Prior Coursework: Successful completion of foundational coursework in archival theory, arrangement, and description (highly preferred).

• Technical Familiarity: Prior exposure to, or a strong willingness to learn, ArchivesSpace and XML-based schema (like EAD).

• Ability to summarize texts through writing

• Ability to work well independently and in a team setting

• Detail-oriented and ability to to ask for help/clarity when needed 

• Excellent communication skills

• Proactively motivated to share ideas and think outside the box

• Experience with Google Suite and ArchivesSpace

Should you have questions with the application process, email internships@mnhs.org or call 651-259-3191.   

At MNHS, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on diversity for the benefit of our employees, interns, volunteers, 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 museum, 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 and employer.