Smithsonian’s Robert Frederick Smith Internship: Chicago History Museum Processing and Digitization Intern – Chicago, Illinois

Chicago History Museum’s mission – to share Chicago’s stories, serving as a hub of scholarship and learning, inspiration, and civic engagement—is the foundation of the Museum’s programs and events, exhibitions, educational initiatives, publications, and collecting activities that touch the lives of all Chicagoans and help them make meaningful and personal connections to history.

Rev. Joseph H. Jackson was a Chicago-based pastor based at Olivet Baptist Church and the longest serving President of the National Baptist Convention (NBC). Jackson advocated for a more conservative approach to civil rights that relied on compliance with the law, in opposition to the civil disobedience methods employed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During his tenure, the NBC underwent a division based on disagreements over civil rights approaches, resulting in the formation of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. The visual materials collection consists of approximately 1,180 images depicting Rev. J. H. Jackson in relation to his time as Pastor of Olivet Baptist Church (1941-1990) and President of the National Baptist Convention (1953-1982), and other activities and organizations with which he was associated.

Position Description: This internship offers the opportunity to improve access to and visibility of a significant African American and civil rights history collection by processing the Joseph H. Jackson papers and creating a set of digital products related to the collection. The intern will work as an integral part of the archives team not just to process the collection, but also to learn about and be involved in how collections are acquired, processed, and documented by the Museum. In addition to archives staff, interns will collaborate with other Collections department staff as well as the Museum’s Research Center and Publications departments to process, provide access to, and publicize the collection. Through the processing and digital curation aspects of this project, the intern will to contribute to the Museum’s larger goal of telling Chicago’s stories through diverse and inclusive collections.

·        Process visual materials collection

·        Survey, assess, and create a processing plan for the collection

·        Arrange and rehouse collection

·        Finalize finding aids and catalog records

·        Select images for digitization and create metadata

·        Write blog posts

·        Encode manuscript finding aid

·        Create and complete Google Arts & Culture site based on the Jackson-related collections

·        Encode finding aids into EAD format

·        Understand basics of assessing, arranging, and describing collections in keeping with archival best practices

·        Increased analytical, writing, research, and digital curation skills

·        Improved communication, collaboration, and other professional skills

·        Know how to properly apply EAD (a common job requirement in archives) to archival finding aids, and how to troubleshoot encoding and web publishing issues

·        Understand how to use an XML-based structured data language in a text editor tool, a skill that translates to other libraries and archives as well as to jobs looking for technology skills

·        Project management skills, including setting and meeting goals

·        Understand how to implement proper archival housing and preservation techniques

·        Know how to consult and understand MARC records, collection assessment reports, and other common custodial documentation

·        Understanding of copyright law in a museum setting

·        Expertise in identifying and selecting good candidates for digitization

·        Understand metadata standards and best practices

·        Know how to write effectively for a public audience

·        Technical expertise with the Google interface and knowledge of best practices and principles for online exhibits through tasks that comprise the creation of the Google site

Time Frame (flexible): Start date after May 21, 2019

Work Culture: The Chicago History Museum is a highly collaborative organization and encourages staff and interns to contribute to and promote a positive culture by demonstrating the following values in their interactions with others and through the products developed and services delivered: discovery, creativity, empathy, authenticity, integrity, service, and collaboration. Successful candidates will be communicative, engaged, embrace uncertainty, be willing to ask questions, and have an aptitude for exploring and developing with their technological skills.

·        Demonstrated interest in African American history and culture

·        Commitment to the mission, values, and programs of the Chicago History Museum

·        Interest in archives and making archival materials accessible to others

·        Able to lift up to 50 lbs

·        Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving skills

·        Able work independently and as part of a team

·        Preferred: strong research and organizational skills

·        Preferred: an aptitude for exploring and developing technological skills

Eligibility: Must be a United States citizen. Applicants must agree to submit to a background screening.

Download and fill out an application form (pdf) and submit along with the documents below as Word or PDF attachments to RFSInternships@si.edu with the email subject: "<First Name_Last Name> - Internship Application 2019" by 11:59 p.m. February 15, 2019.