Photo Assessment Internship, Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Central Brooklyn)

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Library

Internship opportunity for currently enrolled Graduate LIS student, Fall 2026

Position Title:           Photo Assessment Intern

Department:             Education

Reports to:               Head Librarian

FLSA Status:            Contractor, Term

Compensation:         $20/hour, not to exceed 15 hours/week for 15 weeks

 

Position Description:

The library is looking for a student currently enrolled in a graduate Library and Information Science degree program to complete a semester-long internship focused on assessing our collections of photographic material. Material dates from prior to the Garden’s founding in 1910 up to the present, although the assessment will focus primarily on physical formats including glass-plate and acetate negatives, slides, and photographic prints. A primary goal of the assessment is to determine an accurate linear footage of the photo collections as we explore off-site storage options. Reference, outreach, or other opportunities may be available to the candidate depending on desired learning outcomes.

 

Responsibilities:

Survey photographic collections in various locations of the Administration building to determine extent, condition, and provenance information.

Identify levels of processing already completed on certain collections and work to be done on unprocessed material. Identify materials that have already been digitized.

Assess how photographic materials as records fit into the structure of the institutional archives.

In consultation with head librarian, recommend out of scope materials for deaccession.

 

Qualifications:

Currently enrolled student in graduate Library and Information Science degree program

Coursework or experience with archival collections or institutional records

Experience working with a variety of photographic formats

Interest in Brooklyn history

Ability to work independently

This project requires taking a macro view of our collections and would be a good fit for someone interested in thinking about the big picture. While some rehousing or processing work may be done, the focus is on surveys, assessments, and recommendations for future processing

 

Physical Requirements:

This is an on-site position. Candidate must be able to work in confined quarters, climb stairs, bend, stoop, and stand for intermittent periods of time and be able to lift up to 25 pounds.

 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

 

How to apply:

If interested, please submit a brief cover letter and resume to Hilary Price at hprice@bbg.org

 

Archive Fellow, Visual AIDS (Chelsea)

With funding support from the Council on Library and Information Resources, Visual AIDS is beginning a three-year project to digitize and describe the tapes, make them available online, and activate the collection with public programming. They are happily seeking applications for a one-year Archive Fellow position to support them with this ongoing work.

The Archive Fellow will support the Community Archivist in publishing a finding aid to the David Hirsh Tapes Collection. The Fellow will be responsible for confirming permissions with all interview subjects, gathering contextual and biographical information for each interview, reviewing and editing transcripts, and writing descriptive notes for the finding aid. This role involves research and writing as well as direct contact with interviewees and estates.

We are now accepting applications for the Archive Fellow position — please see below for more information. Deadline: June 21st.

Duties include:

Liaise with interview subjects

• Conduct research to find contact information for interview subjects or estates

• Contact artists represented in the collection to determine the level of access and permission they would like to provide to their interview, while upholding our values as a community-based archive

• Gather biographical information from interview subjects to better contextualize materials in the collection and use this to write comprehensive biographies for subsequent finding aid

Quality control and edit transcripts and audiovisual access files

• Review and correct computer-generated transcripts for accuracy

• Draw on knowledge of downtown and queer art history to correct spellings of proper names

• Edit audiovisual access files as requested by interview subjects

Assist with the description of the collection and creation of a finding aid

• Synthesize biographical information to create notes for finding aid

• Write descriptions of tape contents for finding aid

• Assist in inputting information into finding aid on ArchivesSpace

The Archive Fellow should:

• Be a people person who is comfortable communicating directly and empathetically with our broad and diverse constituency across age, race, sexuality, gender, and ability. 

• Have 1-2 years of professional experience that demonstrate high attention to detail and ability to self-manage multiple tasks on a timeline

• Have a strong interest in learning about the intersections of AIDS activism, related cultural production, and contemporary and historic artistic communities. Previous work in the field of HIV and AIDS is not required. Interest and familiarity with queer art histories of the 1980s and 90s is a plus.

• Be able to work in-person at the Visual AIDS office in Chelsea for the majority of their hours.

• Hold or be pursuing a degree in Library and Information Science, Art History, or related fields, or the equivalent experience and expertise.

• Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud (specifically audio and video editing) is preferred.

• Experience with processing archival collections, archival management, and using ArchivesSpace a plus, but not required

Commitment and Compensation: This is a part-time (3 days a week, 24 hours per week) temporary position, primarily working in-person at the Visual AIDS office in Chelsea, New York. Compensation is $25/hr. Part-time employees receive paid time off and paid sick leave, but are not eligible for health or dental insurance.

To apply: Send a cover letter, résumé, writing sample (1 page maximum), and references as a single PDF file to jobs@visualaids.org by June 21st, 2026.

About the David Hirsh Tapes

In 2024, Visual AIDS received a donation of over 500 audio and video tapes from David Hirsh, an arts writer and one of the founders of the Visual AIDS archive. The collection contains interviews with over 300 gay and lesbian artists, gallerists, and curators in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 

About the Visual AIDS Archive

The Visual AIDS Archive collects artwork documentation, personal papers, and records pertaining to the lives and work of artists living with HIV and AIDS, as well as those who have passed. The Archive was started in 1994 by Frank Moore and David Hirsh as a response to the loss of both life and artwork in the wake of the AIDS crisis.

Visual AIDS is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to you without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, age, veteran status, disability, HIV status, or genetic information.