Museum Studies Internship

Job Description The Walt Whitman Birthplace offers a limited number of volunteer Intern positions to undergraduate students and post graduates who have completed classes or degrees in museum related fields such as public history, art history, exhibit planning, collections care and management, library science, American literature, archival arrangement, etc. This position, while on a strictly volunteer basis, provides an opportunity to acquire new skills and practice skills learned in the classroom on real-time projects underway in a not-for-profit small museum setting. With guidance and supervision from the Curator, interns will choose and complete work that enhances our understanding of the collection and improves access to it.

We will work with your advisor if there is an opportunity for independent study course credit. This is an in-person position. Interns meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

You may arrange a mutually agreeable and flexible schedule between the hours of 10am and 4pm on any or all of those days. A minimum commitment of 10 weeks/50 hours is required. Interns may apply best practices according to current standards in the field. learn about the functioning of a small museum and not-for-profit organization obtain experience with digitizing documents, cataloging, and Past Perfect 5 museum software learn about Walt Whitman and his literary legacy create a meaningful and inclusive exhibit for museum visitors learn how to monitor and manage the storage and display environment care for and interpret the historic house and its furnishings learn about Long Island history, with a focus on the Whitman family and Birthplace site network with other interns through this experience, solidify their interest in a future in museum work.

To Apply To apply, please send a letter of interest and resume addressed to the Director, Caitlyn Shea – director@waltwhitman.org, and Curator, Margaret Guardi curator@waltwhitman.org