Archives and Art Resources Intern

SCHEDULE: Full Time, 35 hours/week, June 16 - August 15, 2025, approximately 3 days working onsite

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION

The Archives and Art Resources (AAR) Department provides museum staff and audiences with the best possible access to information, media, and records related to art, artists, and SFMOMA’s program, encouraging creativity and multivariant experiences with modern and contemporary art. The department is accountable for supporting collections activities, content creation, management, and preservation, and integrating workflows and software applications to deliver comprehensive access and opportunities to research, activate, and experience art.

There are five branches within the AAR Department: collections information management, digital asset management, archives and records management, imaging, and intellectual property.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The AAR internship aims to provide the intern with a well-rounded experience and offers them an opportunity to learn more about the archives and information science professions. The AAR intern will work one-on-one with Archivist/Records Manager to continue a pilot project focused on centralizing access and contribution to object-related documentation for objects accessioned into the museum’s art collection in FY2025.

The intern will survey and inventory incoming born-digital documents, upload and describe documents into the museum’s digital asset management system and ensure incoming information about the object is reflected in the collection management system.  

PROJECT PLAN

Week 1: Get to know the SFMOMA Archives and Art Resources Department

· Learn about the SFMOMA Archives and Art Resources Department and its role at the museum 

· Meet the team and learn about each person’s role and path to SFMOMA 

Week 2: Learn about museum object records

· Learn about what constitutes an object record, and the past history and current use of object records at SFMOMA 

· Familiarize oneself about who contributes to object records and for what purposes 

Week 3: Receive training on the various systems and tools where museum object information and documentation are accessed 

· Learn about the systems and repositories that hold object information and assets: Morley (collections management system), Digital Garden (digital asset management system), Collections Connection Microsoft Teams site, and additional SharePoint and Network Drive locations 

· Understand how they all connect and how one will be using all those tools to preserve and provide broader access to object documentation 

Week 4-9: Compile digital object records 

· Produce inventories and file maps for object documentation identified for the digital object record 

· Prepare files for upload into the Digital Garden 

· Upload and describe files in the Digital Garden, and linking them to Morley 

· Draft new and/or update standards and procedures for collecting, organizing, uploading, and describing digital object records 

By the end of the internship, the AAR intern will have: 

· Gained experience in records management, processing, collections information management, and digital asset management in a museum context 

· Explored the integrated workflows within the Archives and Art Resources Department and the department with Curatorial, Registration, Conservation, Collections Management, Project Management, and Administration 

· Increased intellectual control of records with enduring historical value 

· Produced procedural documentation on archives, collections information, and digital asset management standards and processes 

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

· Gain experience working at the intersection of archives and records management in a museum context.

· Complete the processing of a seasons-worth of object documentation.

· Develop research, information management and problem-solving skills.

· Exercise communication and other soft skills required to work on cross-divisional and cross-departmental projects.

· Contribute to standards and procedures for describing object records

· Introduce the intern to core competencies of the archives and records management professions through a combination of the assigned project and mentoring.

ADDITIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAMMING

The Summer 2025 Internship will offer 9 weeks of hands-on experience and mentorship along with weekly presentations and discussions with various departments in the museum, off-site educational visits within the Bay Area community, and access to various tours and events within the museum.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

· Must be a current student in or recent graduate of a Masters-level program in library science, museum studies, or related program. The SFMOMA recognizes a graduation date within 6 months of the internship start date as a recent graduate.

· Detail-oriented, extremely organized with project management skills 

· Proficiency with MS Office, SharePoint, and database software 

**Current SFMOMA employees are not eligible to apply for the Summer 2025 internship.**

The position’s workspace is divided between the museum’s Third Street location and its Collection Center in South San Francisco dependent on assigned projects.