Intern Graduate Archival Processing

TITLE: Intern -Graduate Archival Processing Intern

LOCATION: History Center - 345 W Kellogg Blvd. St. Paul MN 55102

COMPENSATION: Typical starting salary$16.50 hourly

HOURS: This is a part-time temporary position from approximately September 14 2026 to December 20 2026. A part-time intern must be available to work 15 hours per week. This position offers a flexible work schedule coordinated with the interns school schedule and operational needs. Preferred working hours are 5 hour shifts scheduled M-F between 9-5.

POSTING DATE: June 26 2026

DEADLINE DATE: July 14 2026

SEMINAR EVENTS: Interns are required to participate in three in-person seminars focused on professional development learning how cultural organizations operate and building a network of industry professionals. At the end of the semester interns complete a final presentation to share their work.

Please ensure you are available for these dates when applying:

• Thursday September 24 from 11:30am-1:00pm

• Thursday October 15

• Thursday November 12 from 2:00pm-4:00pm

• Final Presentations: Thursday December 17 from 11:00am-1:00pm

TO APPLY: Interested applicants must apply online at the Minnesota Historical Societys career center at include a cover letter resume and any required additional materials by the application deadline date.

APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE:

• PDF copy of unofficial transcript

DESCRIPTION: The Archival Processing Intern will gain hands-on practical experience in the arrangement description and preservation of physical and/or digital archival collections. Under the close mentorship of professional staff the intern will focus heavily on creating structured standard-compliant finding aids within ArchivesSpace. MNHS is currently migrating its EAD finding aids into the ASpace database and need help ingesting the legacy PDF Word and paper-based finding aids into ASpace.

RESPONSIBILITIES:Description & Finding Aid Creation (80%): 1) ArchivesSpace Data Entry: Learn and utilize the backend interface of ArchivesSpace to create collection-level resource records component lists (series and folders) and accession records; 2) Apply Descriptive Standards: Draft finding aids that comply with Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and utilize Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) for controlled vocabularies; 3) Legacy Data Remediation: Assist in updating or converting older legacy finding aids (from PDFs or word documents) into clean structured ArchivesSpace records. Physical Arrangement & Preservation (10%): 4) Review unorganized or semi-organized materials to establish intellectual and physical order (sorting boxing and foldering); 5) Perform basic preservation tasks such as removing damaging fasteners (rusted staples rubber bands) and housing fragile items in acid-free materials; 6) Create container lists and inventories to map physical locations to the digital finding aid. Professional Development & Support (10%): 7) Participate in departmental meetings to understand larger institutional workflows collection policies and donor relations; 8) Complete a final processing project or presentation highlighting the completed collection and its historical significance.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Currently enrolled as a graduate student or have graduated within the past 12 months at the time of application.

• Ideal candidates might be currently pursuing or a graduate with a degree in the following areas: ALA-accredited Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS / MLS) program or a Masters in History with an Archival Studies concentration.

• Prior Coursework: Successful completion of foundational coursework in archival theory arrangement and description (highly preferred).

• Technical Familiarity: Prior exposure to or a strong willingness to learn ArchivesSpace and XML-based schema (like EAD).

• Ability to summarize texts through writing

• Ability to work well independently and in a team setting

• Detail-oriented and ability to to ask for help/clarity when needed

• Excellent communication skills

• Proactively motivated to share ideas and think outside the box

• Experience with Google Suite and ArchivesSpace

Should you have questions with the application process email or call .

At MNHS we dont just accept difference we celebrate it we support it and we thrive on diversity for the benefit of our employees interns volunteers our products and services and our community. The Minnesota Historical Society believes that an inclusive culture among our team members is critical to our success as a historical society and museum and we seek to recruit develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. The Minnesota Historical Society is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and employer.