Department: Library and Archives
Location: Minneapolis
Job Type: Part-time, hourly
Hours: Negotiable; 26 hours/week for 12 weeks, summer 2017
Closing Date: March 15
Salary: $15/hour
The American Craft Council is looking for a bright, enthusiastic, and dedicated individual (preferably in an MLIS or art history graduate program or a recent graduate) to work with its archival collections. Under the direction of the librarian/archivist, the intern will primarily focus on processing materials from the Council archives and building online tools to promote archival resources and guide remote users through the collections. The intern will assist with organizing archival files, creating finding aids, and adding content to the ACC Digital Collections database. With the support of the ACC’s web team, including our interactive editor and IT manager, the intern will also be responsible for creating pages to describe collections on the ACC website, writing blog posts, and promoting archival resources to ACC members and the public.
Professional skills acquired during the internship will include: understanding the process of analyzing and organizing primary source materials, creating collection discovery tools, and building online resources that support scholarship in the fields of art, craft, and design. Additionally, the intern will get to know ACC’s craft history collections and will have an opportunity to engage with library and education staff, as well as with other Council programs.
Primary Responsibilities
- Processing incoming and existing materials for the archives
- Building descriptive content around archival materials to make them suitable for a diverse group of users
- Scanning materials and assigning metadata to digitized files using CONTENTdm
- Executing proper care and storage of documents, photographs, recordings, and artifacts
- Assisting with answering archival reference and research requests
- Conducting copyright analysis and applying the concept of fair use to the digitization and online use of materials in the context of a scholarly research environment
- Collaborating with other ACC staff on the design of the project to ensure it serves the research, education, and service mission of the organization
- Communicate regularly with ACC librarian/archivist about concerns, issues, and progress on tasks
Qualifications
- Must be a current undergraduate or graduate student, preferably in a library science, museum studies, or art history program
- Capacity to read, view, and understand materials and documents and recognize and extract critical data and information
- Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Ability to take initiative and work independently
- Preferred experience working in an art museum, archives, or library setting
- Preferred experience describing archival collections and entering data into a finding aid or database
- Keen interest or background in contemporary craft history and an appreciation of primary source materials and archives
To Apply
Please send your cover letter and resume to [email protected] with the subject: Internship: Archives.
About the American Craft Council
The American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit organization cultivating a culture of making. We believe in a world where everyone is inspired to live a creative life. We support professional makers through our unique shows. We provide educational opportunities, including a one-of-a-kind library, conferences, public lectures, and student programs. Our national awards elevate emerging artists and honor masters. We promote the handmade through our robust, member-driven website and our award-winning American Craft magazine.
ACC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any classification protected by federal, state, or local law.
This internship opportunity would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. The American Craft Council would like to thank both the Windgate Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board for their contributions.