Archival Internship

Voluntary Internship Opportunities

Summer 2026 interns have the opportunity to work in a variety of fields, including archival processing, museum exhibits, and more. Interns work between 10-40 hours per week for 10 weeks. Internships are unpaid, yet can be done for academic credit or volunteer hours.

About Voluntary Internships

Internships are unpaid, yet can be done for academic credit or volunteer hours. Learn more about the program here.

Available Archival Internships:

• Barack Obama - College Park, MD - Digitization Internship: 2 internships available. Primary tasks focus on preparing archival documents for digitization, including removing fasteners (staples, clips, etc.) and bindings; removing non-scannable items & materials; identifying and alerting Library staff of any non-scannable/textual items or materials.

• George W. Bush - Dallas, TX - Archival Digitization Internship: 3 internships available. Interns' primary task is to prepare documents for digitization. Remove fasteners and bindings, remove non-scannable items & materials, identify and alert staff of any non-scannable/textual items or materials.

• Jimmy Carter - Atlanta, GA - Digitization Internship for Textual Records: 2 internships available. Tasks include metadata creation, scanning of textual documents, and processing of small textual collections.

• John F. Kennedy - Boston, MA - Archival Processing Internship: 1 internship available. Enhanced description of series within textual collections, listing out contents of boxes to facilitate access, creating metadata according to Library and NARA standards, assisting with holdings maintenance, basic preservation work on textual records.

Professional Development Opportunities:

• Archival document processing
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Practical experience in applying fundamental archival principles
• Learning basics of archival processing and best practices for creating metadata

Work Environment:

• Work is mostly sedentary and performed while seated, yet interns must be physically able to perform the duties of this position.
• Physical demands may include climbing ladders, moving carts of records, and handling boxes of archival records.
• Interns will have regular access to a shared NARA computer workstation.

Education & Qualifications Requirements:

• Educational Level/Program: Current or former associate's degree, bachelor's degree, or graduate student
• Degree program in history, museum studies, library science, or related field preferred
• Qualifications: Competent using computers for tasks including data entry, word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations; Physically able to climb 15-foot ladders and work with boxes weighing up to 50 pounds; Can work independently and effectively; Can work collaboratively as part of a team; Attention to detail

Schedule:

• Internship Date Options: 6/1/2026 through 8/7/2026 or 6/8/2026 through 8/14/2026
• Weekly Schedule: 10-19 hours per week

Area(s) of Interest:

Archival Processing, Digitizing Archival Materials, Public History