History Center Intern - On-Site Summer Internship

About Our Job

The History Center Intern participates in all phases of managing the History Center’s collection and making it more accessible to the public through reference services, digitization, and outreach.

Job Description:

Are you interested in getting hands-on experience in your chosen field? Do you want to make a difference in your community?

Intern Sarasota County is dedicated to providing students with an unsurpassed learning experience and insight into the dynamic world of public sector employment.

Develop new skills you can apply in the workplace. Gain skills that will enhance your resume and increase your career options while exploring public service! Observe and participate in tasks and responsibilities performed daily by skilled professionals. Experience workplace culture, office dynamics, and business etiquette.

Your internship will include impactful hands-on work within a department, networking, professional development, and building long lasting connections with other interns, mentors, and Sarasota County team members.

Department Responsibilities:

• Creating or updating finding aids and condition reports.
• Processing new collections or reprocessing existing collections needing additional arrangement and description.
• Evaluating housings and enclosures for archival and museum items and rehousing them if necessary.
• Digitizing items for preservation and for use on social media.
• Monitoring the collection’s environment and keeping appropriate records.
• Marketing the collection and the History Center’s services through creative social media and newsletter content.
• Designing and fabricating exhibits featuring History Center collections.
• Assisting patrons in person or by phone or email with research inquiries.
• Building and/or maintaining staff-side database content for collection management.
• Collaborate with your department colleagues to make and influence real changes.

Internship Program Responsibilities:

• A presentation to the County Administrator and other County Leadership staff is required at the close of the internship program on Friday, August 8, 2025.
• Participate in all organized intern events and trainings.

Your Internship Includes: 

• In-person, on-site work!
• Competitive wage 
• Hands-on work experience
• Professional headshot
• 1-1 mentoring with county staff
• Professional Development Events:
  • Civics 101 & Facility Tour
  • Own Your Career
  • Business Etiquette & Professional Networking
  • Philanthropy & Your Career
  • Board of County Commission Public Hearing Session
  • Speaking for Success

Learn more about the internship program at: scgov.net/intern

About You

Minimum Qualifications:

• At least 18 years old, or age 16-17 with parental consent.
• High school diploma, or equivalent (if applicable).
• Eligible to work in the United States – we love local, national, and international students!
• Active, enrolled student.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Students working toward a degree in history, public history, library and information studies, or museum studies.

About Everything Else

• Program Dates: The 2025 internship program will begin on May 19, 2025 and end on August 8, 2025.  
• Internship Hours: 40 hours/week, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; some departments vary. In-person, on-site at our various locations in Sarasota County.
• Location: Osprey Library, 337 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL 34229
• Pay Range: $13 per hour (high school student) up to $20 per hour (Grad/Masters student), based on your credit hours earned. Returning interns earn an additional $0.50/hour, up to $1.00 for those returning for the third year.

Our interview process could include phone interview(s), Microsoft Teams video interview(s), and/or in-person interview(s).

If you are selected to join our team, please click on this link to review the Required First Day Documents. You will need to present the following items on your first day:

1. I-9 Acceptable Documents to show your identity and authorization to work. Use this link to learn more and review the different document options: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents

• If your position requires a Florida Driver’s License, this must be one of your documents. (Your Florida Driver’s License can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List B Documents.)

2. U.S. Social Security Card (signed, physical card). This is a requirement of our Payroll Department and failure to provide this document could jeopardize timely compensation. (Your U.S. Social Security Card can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List C Documents.)  

We celebrate and value the experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, talents and strengths that make us different and are committed to creating a culture of understanding and respect where our employees realize that we are stronger together. 

Our vision is to attract, develop, retain and engage a talented workforce broadly representative of the citizens and communities we serve. To further value creativity, innovation, collaboration and great customer service – internally and externally. 

Sarasota County Government promotes diversity and inclusion in its workforce and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender identity or expression, genetic information, religion, national origin, marital status, age or disability. A job applicant with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to participate in the application/selection process is requested to make known the need for an accommodation to Human Resources or appropriate county staff members. For assistance with the application, please call 941-861-5353.

Government employers are drug-free and tobacco-free environments, EEO/AA/ADA employers, and they prohibit discrimination in all services, programs or activities.

Sarasota County Government is a Tobacco-Free/Drug-Free Workplace.