Museum Archive Digitization Internship Shadows-on-the-Teche

PROJECT SUMMARY
The ShadowsontheTeche in New Iberia Louisiana is a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation a privately funded nonprofit organization that protects significant places representing our diverse cultural experience by taking direct action and inspiring broad public support.

Situated on the ancestral land of the AtkapanIshak and Chitimacha peoples The Shadows is an antebellum home and former site of enslavement. Today the property is open to the public and the experiences of those who occupied the site both free and enslaved are shared through tours and public programming.

The Shadows is currently making strides to improve the accessibility of the ShadowsontheTeche Archive for students teachers researchers and the general public. The Archive includes four 4 document and photo collections two 2 audio collections and microfilm reels. Working with the Senior Manager of Operations and Marketing to create a priorities list the Museum Archive Digitization Intern will digitize select photographs and documents/manuscripts in the Archive. The Museum Archive Digitization Intern will then catalogue the digitized files on Re:discovery Proficio the collections management software utilized by the National Trust and prepare the catalogue record for online sharing. Throughout the digitization process the Museum Archive Digitization Intern will also be tasked with assessing the archival storage boxes to determine whether items need to be rehoused completing the necessary rehousing and creating/updating box level finding aids.

National Trust internships are temporary experiential learning opportunities with no expectation of employment at the conclusion of the internship.

For this internship the National Trust is offering a stipend of $4000 to help offset expenses. The period of the internship will last from June 2 July 25 2025 for approximately 28 hours per week.

DUTIES

• Digitize document/manuscript and photograph collections.
• Catalogue all archival documents/manuscripts and photographs in Re:discovery.
• Prepare all catalogue records on Re:discovery for online viewing.
• Assess archival storage and complete rehousing if necessary.
• Create and/or update box level finding aids for documents/manuscripts and photographs.
• Create 12 weekly social media posts related to the internship i.e. best practices current project archival piece etc.
• Additional duties as assigned.

EDUCATIONAL VALUE TO THE INTERN
The intern will gain experience under the mentorship of respected preservation and museum professionals in an educational setting at one of the nations premier historic house museums. The intern will also have the opportunity to participate in educational programming offered via the National Trust for Historic Preservations organizationwide internship program. Students may also be eligible for college or graduate school academic credit at the discretion of their institution.

Specifically the intern will gain knowledge in the following areas:
Care and handling for archival objects.
Archival identification and connoisseurship.
Re:discovery Proficio database functions.

At the end of the project the intern will have produced digitized and catalogued records for the historic site aiding in the accessibility of the archival collection and an online exhibit on the National Trusts collections portal that utilizes the newly digitized archival records can be added to their professional portfolio in support of their future career pursuits.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Basic analytical and problemsolving skills including issue identification and prioritization. Basic projectorganization skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to collaborate and achieve results with supervision including ability to interact professionally with key internal and external stakeholders as needed. Public contact and ability to work successfully in close proximity to others required.
• Strong organizational skills required with ability to prioritize multitask efficiently and meet deadlines in a timely fashion.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with culturally diverse colleagues; connections to or experience helping to engage culturally diverse audiences and partners a plus.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products required including Outlook Word and Excel. Familiarity with Meta social media platforms required. Familiarity with Re:discovery Proficio a plus.
• Be able to work 28 hours per week.
• Regular and reliable attendance required.
• Bachelors level studies (or equivalent years of experience) required; current or rising seniors or graduate students preferred. Studies or demonstrated interest in related subject matter museums collections and/or archives preferred.

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