INTERNSHIP Archive Intern

Illinois Humanities

Job Location:

Chicago, IL - USA

Monthly Salary: Not Disclosed

Posted on: 14 days ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

INTERNSHIP

Archive Intern

Illinois Humanities

Status:Internship (Part Time)

Reports to:Consulting Archivist

Location:Chicago Office

Illinois Humanities the Illinois partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs grants and educational opportunities that foster reflection spark conversation build community and strengthen civic engagement. We provide free high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois particularly for communities of color individuals living on low incomes counties and towns in rural areas small arts and cultural organizations and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration.

For more information

INTERNSHIP SUMMARY:

Illinois Humanities is seeking an Archive Intern to support the organizations archival processing and digital asset management work during Summer 2026. The intern will work directly with Illinois Humanities Consulting Archivist on projects related to the organizations physical and digital collections.

This internship offers hands-on experience for students interested in archives library science cataloging metadata and digital asset management. Interns will gain practical experience with archival standards metadata creation workflow tracking and digital asset management systems while contributing to the preservation and accessibility of Illinois Humanities organizational history.

The internship which will run approximately 1012 weeks beginning in early June 2026 and ending in August 2026 requires a maximum of 810 hours per week. Hours will be flexible based on the interns availability. This position will be hybrid with one to two days per week in person at the Illinois Humanities archive in Chicago.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Assist with the physical processing of archival materials using DACS standards prior to digitization
Support the creation and scoping of controlled vocabularies including subject terms and XML metadata structures
Track workflow and asset mapping for Illinois Humanities digital asset management (DAM) system
Assist with cataloging metadata entry and organizational projects related to archival collections
Provide additional project and administrative support related to archival and digital asset management work
Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

Current undergraduate or graduate student in Library and Information Science Archives Museum Studies Public History or a related field preferred
Interest in archives metadata cataloging digital preservation and/or digital asset management
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail Ability to work independently and collaboratively
Research and analytical skills
Computer proficiency including Microsoft Office Suite; familiarity with metadata standards XML or archival databases is a plus but not required
Experience with cataloging archives or digital collections coursework a plus but not required

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

The skills and experience needed to be successful in this internship exist on a spectrum. Highly qualified and desirable internship candidates may not meet 100% of the skills and experience included in this description. We encourage all who are interested in this position to apply.

WHAT WE ARE OFFERING:

This internship is unpaid; however Illinois Humanities will work with students and their academic institutions to support eligibility for course or practicum credit where available.
The position requires 8-10 hours per week
The position will run through August 2026

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Step one:All submissions will be reviewed and the initial candidate pool will be formed after phone screenings. Not all submissions will make it into the candidate pool.

Step two:Candidates in the pool will take part in an interview with members of the Illinois Humanities Team via Zoom or in-person.

Step three:There may be additionalrounds of interviews with the final candidates. Final candidates may be asked to provide additional information. Selection and placement of the final candidate will occur after these final rounds of interviews. Placement for this internship is anticipated to occur in June 2026. Once the final candidate has accepted their offer of employment all other applicants will be notified of their status.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Our Chicago Loop office is accessible. Work in our on-site storage location is required and may not be fully accessible. Evening and weekend work is sometimes required. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers phones and scanners. Employees are regularly required to talk hear see and communicate effectively via computer. The intern may occasionally lift and/or move objects up to 30 pounds.

COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY:

To support public health efforts to reduce the risk of COVID-19 Illinois Humanities has adopted a policy that requires all staff and interns receive a complete COVID-19 vaccine based on the CDCs current definition which is subject to change. Employees must submit a full Record of COVID-19 Vaccination or have a fully signed Reasonable Exception approval by date of hire.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Illinois Humanities is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ qualified individuals based on individual merit. It does not discriminate against any individual with respect to the terms and conditions of employment based on that individuals race sex age religion color national origin disability genetic information marital status veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression housing status or any other non-merit factor protected under state local or federal laws. Equal Employment Opportunity applies to all personnel actions such as recruiting hiring compensation benefits promotions training transfer termination and opportunities for training. Illinois Humanities is committed to a fair and equitable workplace where everyone is a respected and valued member of the team.

To Apply:Please upload a resume andbrief personal statement in the form of a cover letter of no more than 250 words that communicates why you are interested in the internship and what unique skills and/or experience you will bring to the role.

Please submit this internship application to the WorkWithUs page. Application review will begin in June 2026 and applications will be accepted until the internship is filled.

Required Experience:

Intern

INTERNSHIPArchive InternIllinois HumanitiesStatus:Internship (Part Time)Reports to:Consulting ArchivistLocation:Chicago OfficeIllinois Humanities the Illinois partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public ...