Museum of the City of New York
Spring 2014
Internship Description:
The Museum of the City of New York is currently seeking library
school students interested in an archives/special collections internship.
Interns will work with both the Museum’s Theater Collection and Manuscripts and
Ephemera Collection and will have the opportunity to gain experience in
cataloging, handling fragile objects, evaluating the condition of the object
for conservation and preservation, collection processing, and/or writing
finding aids. Interns may assist with reference inquiries and the Museum’s
ongoing digitization project, as needed. Projects will vary according to an
individual’s skill set and interests.
About the Collections:
Theater Collection
The Museum’s Theater Collection documents theatrical activity in
New York City from the late 18th century to the present day. Spring semester
interns will assist in a digitization project made possible through the Museums
for America grant program from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The project will digitize and re-house 30,000 images of theatrical production
in New York City. Tasks include, but are not limited to conducting condition
assessments, recording dimensions and locations, and re-housing. Interns will
have the opportunity to become familiar with the Cataloging Cultural Objects
metadata standard, gain experience in object handling, learn how to conduct
condition assessments, and obtain first-hand knowledge of the steps involved in
a large digitization process. As time allows, the interns may become more
involved in the cataloging process.
Manuscripts and Ephemera Collection
These objects document the day-to-day life of New Yorkers over the
last 300 years with the bulk of the materials dating to late 19th and early 20th centuries. The ephemera comprise a variety of
formats, including print material such as menus, invitations, pamphlets, and
handbills; textiles such as pennants, sashes, ties, and scarves; and
three-dimensional artifacts such as badges, buttons, children’s identification
tags, and promotional items. The manuscript collection includes papers of
influential New Yorkers and their families. The subject of the material
encompasses a wide scope of events and subjects pertaining to development of
New York City.
Requirements:
Each internship requires a minimum commitment of two full days a
week (7 hours), scheduled during the Monday - Friday workweek. Internships are
unpaid. Preference will be given to students completing the internship for
course credit. Candidates must be currently enrolled in a Masters program for Library
Science. Interns must be able to lift boxes weighing up to 40 pounds. Students
with a focus in Archival Studies and an interest in objects of material culture
are encouraged to apply.
To be considered for this opportunity, please send a cover letter and
resume to Morgen Stevens-Garmon, Theater Collections Archivist at mgarmon@mcny.org.
