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 a graduate 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

Compensation The salary for this internship is $19/hour

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

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 materials including image capture, image editing, creation of master and access files in accordance with Vizcaya’s digitization plan
• Creation of descriptive 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 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.)

How to Apply:

Please send resume and cover letter expressing how your interest and experience align with the position description to: [email protected]. Please reference the internship title in the subject line of your email.