Conservation & Collections Internship

To learn more and view additional Schwartz Community Based Internships, visit: https://careereducation.rochester.edu/channels/urochester-internship-programs/#schwartzscholar

This internship is part of the Schwartz Community Based Internships. This premier opportunity allows UR undergraduate students to access traditionally unpaid opportunities that highlight the value of the humanities in the workplace. If selected, students will receive a $5,000 stipend over a minimum 270-hour period in a non-for-profit organization in the Rochester, NY region.

Conservation & Collections Internship 2026

The Strong owns and cares for the world’s most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, board games, video games, books, documents, and other historical materials related to play. Our conservation and collections team seeks interns who are interested in a hybrid learning opportunity for a variety of aspects of the museum field. The intern may assist in an assortment of supervised projects including, but not limited to, cataloging, data entry, digitization, image processing, networking with other museum professionals, preventative care including environmental monitoring and pest management, disaster preparedness planning, incoming/outgoing loans, general collections care, treating objects, completing treatment documentation including digital photography, exhibit development and planning, rehousing/storage, and maintaining exhibition spaces including lighting and cases. There may be an opportunity to focus on a specialized project with a small genre of the collection as well, such as inventorying, reevaluating and condensing storage for Barbie collection or Boardgame collection, and a research-based digitization project on our Hershell Carousel.

Interns may also have the opportunity to assist or shadow other museum teams on a limited basis, depending upon interest and project opportunities.

Requirements:

• Candidate must be detail-oriented and able to work independently and systematically, but also understand the importance of working collaboratively and cooperatively as part of a team.
• Candidate must consent to and successfully complete a criminal background check and a drug screen as conditions of the internship.
• Candidate will need a ride to and from the museum on scheduled days

Application Process:

Please include all of the following:

• Cover letter stating personal interests, reasons for wanting to intern at The Strong, desired learning outcomes for the internship, and potential benefits to The Strong
• Résumé/ CV

The Strong will consider each student’s interests and, if appropriate, will coordinate an interview with Shawanna Lawrence, Vice President for People and Culture slawrence@museumofplay.org, and Gabriel Dunn, Conservator (GDunn@museumofplay.org).