Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center
The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Archive Center is pleased to offer a ten to twelve week Archive Internship for the summer session at its Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland. The NMAI Archive Center is a repository housing manuscripts, special collections, photos, media, and the historical records of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation (MAI), the predecessor of NMAI.
Internship Summary: Internships are available with three types of collections-
Manuscripts
Interns assist the archivist in making manuscript collections accessible to researchers and NMAI staff. The work includes appraising, arranging, describing, preserving, and cataloguing records of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, and various other collections relating to Native American organizations and individuals. The intern has the opportunity to answer reference inquiries, assist researchers in the archives reading room, and participate in the day-to-day management of an archival repository. These tasks allow interns to gain practical experience in arrangement and description, basic preservation, cataloguing, and reference services.
Photos
This internship involves working with the NMAI Photo Archives, which consists of approximately 150,000 museum images depicting many aspects of Native life in the Western Hemisphere from the 1840s through the present day. The internship can consist of any aspect of storage, cataloguing, documentation, and everyday care of material in an historic photo archive, depending on the interests and background of the intern.
Media
Interns assist the Media Archivist with arranging and preserving the media collection which consists of video tapes, motion picture films, and audio recordings, dating from 1902 to the present. The intern will assist the media archivist in processing a specific audio visual collection and preparing for eventual disposition of the items in accordance with Smithsonian Institution Archives record retention schedules.
NMAI Archive Center Information: The National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center contains approximately 1500 linear feet of administrative records and special collections dating back to the 1830s. The administrative records document the history of NMAI's predecessor, the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation. Official records include correspondence, memoranda, minutes, publications and other materials detailing the day-to-day operation of the Museum and the activities of its founder, George Gustav Heye, and staff members E.K. Burnett, Frederick Dockstader, Roland W. Force, Frederick W. Hodge, George H. Pepper, Mark R. Harrington, and William F. Stiles, as well as other curators, anthropologists, and scholars associated with the Museum. Other records include unpublished manuscripts, field notebooks containing original drawings, site diagrams, and maps, as well as scrapbooks, photographs, object collection listings, exhibit planning materials, and correspondence pertaining to research expeditions, collecting projects, and collections. This Archive is the repository for the material formerly located at the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation, at Audubon Terrace in New York City. Special collections maintained by the NMAI Paper Archive include the National Congress of the American Indian Archives, the Leuman Maurice Waugh Papers, the Reuben Snake Papers, and ARROW, Inc. Records.
The Photo Archive collection contains approximately 324,000 images (negatives, vintage prints, transparencies, lantern slides, glass-plate negatives, color slides, and digital photos) comprising one of the foremost collection of images of Native American culture and history from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The collection includes historic scenes, portraits, and field photographs of the Museum's ethnographic and archaeological expeditions in North America, Mexico, and South and Central America. In addition, this collection also records contemporary Native American artists and events at NMAI and includes images of some of the objects in the collection.
The Media Archive consists of more than 12,000 video tapes, motion picture films, and audio recordings, dating from 1902 to the present. Native communities from North and South America are represented in interviews, performances, cinematic films, and documentary recordings. Additionally, the Media Archive holds a large study collection of contemporary Native American cinema screened at NMAI through the Film and Video Center's (http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=collections&second=film) public programs. NMAI's collection contains a vast array of formats from throughout the history of audiovisual recording, including motion picture film, analog and digital video tape recordings, and audio recordings on wax cylinders, phonograph discs, audio tape, and compact discs.
Additional information about the NMAI Archive Center can be found at http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=collections&second=archives. Information about the National Museum of the American Indian can be found at http://www.nmai.si.edu
Location: The position is located at the NMAI Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, MD. For more information about the CRC, including location and Metro access, see http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor&second=md&third=hours.
Academic Credit: The Smithsonian Institution welcomes the opportunity to work cooperatively with schools seeking to grant academic credit for internships. Applicants are encouraged to initiate arrangements for credit with their college or university. The Smithsonian does not grant academic credit.
Financial Support: Travel, housing, and stipends may be provided to students on a limited basis. Students receiving stipends must work full time (forty hours per week).
Requirements: Students who are currently enrolled in an academic program or who have completed studies within six months of the start date of the session are encouraged to apply. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or its equivalent is generally expected Students should have the ability to work a minimum of twenty hours per week. Demonstrated interest in the archival or records management profession. Must be detail-oriented, have good organization and communication skills. Students who are interested in Native American archives, imagery, recordings, and information science are encouraged to apply.
Deadlines and Session Dates:
Summer Session Application Deadline -February 6, 2010; Begins-First full week in June 2010
To Apply: All applicants should register and submit an electronic application via the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA) (https://solaa.si.edu/solaa/SOLAAHome.html) by the due date (February 6, 2010). Select "National Museum of the American Indian" from the drop-down program list. Application materials required for an internship include: online application, statement of interest, transcript, two letters of recommendation, and CV or résumé. For more information about the application process and internship program, please see http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=collaboration&second=internships. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Please submit all application materials via the SOLAA (https://solaa.si.edu/solaa/SOLAAHome.html) system. If specific circumstances prevent this, please call 301-238-1541 or email norwoodj@si.edu
Please direct specific questions regarding the Internship to:
Jennifer R. O'Neal
Head Archivist
National Museum of the American Indian
Smithsonian Institution
Cultural Resources Center
4220 Silver Hill Rd.
Suitland, MD 20746
Phone: 301.238.1373
Fax: 301.238.3038
Email: onealj@si.edu
