Library & Archives Intern

The Phillips Collection • Washington, DC

20h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Phillips Collection's Internship program is open to full-time undergraduate students, full-time graduate students, and recent graduates. The purpose of the internship program is to offer students and recent graduates meaningful work, educational experiences, and real-life practice in their fields of academic study and/or interest.

The intern will assist in a variety of projects that provide insight into the daily functioning of a museum library and archives, including becoming familiar with the library resources, processing the archival backlog and learning how to answer basic reference questions. The library and archives intern will work with the Head of Archives, Library, and Digital Resources in a variety of research capacities, to include helping curators and the general public with reference questions and gathering materials on Phillips history. They will be introduced to a wide variety of published reference books and primary source materials. Mentorship will include supervised reading on the museum’s history, opportunities to contribute to the blog and digital exhibitions, and tours of the permanent collection and exhibitions. They will also have opportunities to work with the Digital Archivist and the Manager of Digital Assets.

Overview of Department: The 10,000-volume library contains material on artists in The Phillips Collection as well as books on various aspects of art history. The library’s primary purpose is to support the research needs of curators and other staff members as well as to serve visiting scholars and members of the public. The library actively collects books that support the research function of the library. The library’s focus is on 19th and 20th century American and European art as well as contemporary art.

The archives contain material created by museum founder Duncan Phillips; by his wife, Marjorie, who worked with him and succeeded him as director; and by various departments. The archives include correspondence with artists, dealers, critics and others; Duncan Phillips’s extensive journals and published and unpublished articles; oral history transcripts; and curatorial exhibition records.

Duration: Internships tend to run ten to fifteen continuous weeks at 12-20 hours per week. Internship length and schedule may vary depending on the needs of the department. This internship will run from Monday, June 1- Friday, August 14 , 2026. This is a hybrid position, with interns expected to work at least two days a week onsite.

Academic Credit:
Depending on the nature of the internship and approval of the student's college or university, academic credit may be granted for internships. Student applicants should consult their academic advisor for additional information.

Please submit a résumé, letter of interest, letter of recommendation, and complete transcripts.

Requirements

• Open to junior and senior undergraduates, graduates, and recent graduates.
• Candidates from an MLIS graduate degree program preferred.
• Candidates with a background in Museum Studies or Art History programs.
• Candidates who have academic or practical experience with processing, arrangement, description, cataloguing, and/or digitization are ideal.
• Familiarity with these software programs: ArchivesSpace, The Library Companion, and Microsoft Office Suite preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Help process and arrange the museum’s extensive archival collection.
• Contribute to digitization projects that include photographic materials, correspondence, and exhibition materials.
• Help answer basic reference questions posed by curators and visiting scholars.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed