Internship Opportunities

Current Openings

 

Archives Technician Internship

Unit: Lake Superior Collection Management Center/Keweenaw National Historical Park/Isle Royale National Park/Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Position: Archives Technician Intern

Type: Public Land Corps

Website: https://www.nps.gov/kewe/learn/2021-museum-insider.htm

Location: 25970 Red Jacket Road, Calumet, Michigan 49913

Stipend: $17.20/Hour + Housing Stipend

Personal Vehicle and License Required: Preferred.

Duration: 5/26/25-8/8/25 (11 Weeks)

Work Environment:

The intern will work primarily inside an office or large room in a beautiful historic building. The building is heated in the winter and utilizes window air conditioning units in the summer. It is four stories high with no elevator, so the intern should notify the supervisor if stair accessibility is a concern, as accommodations can be made in another of the park’s buildings. We typically host three to six other museum interns, staff, and volunteers in the building.

Description:

The intern will work closely with the Lake Superior Collection Management Center Archivist to process, re-house, catalog, and describe a few small archival records collection. Archival records are generally paper records such as letters, manuscripts, business records, maps, postcards, and photographs. The archival collections may consist of family papers and photographs or papers from a local business or organization, dating from the late 1800s to early 1900s, and will contain approximately 1-8 linear feet.
The intern will learn the procedures and steps to process and catalog an entire archival collection from start to finish. This includes:

• Assessing the collection
• Removing rubber bands or rusty staples
• Following archival methods to determine original order of the materials
• Arranging documents into order
• Re-housing in new folders
• Writing folder labels
• Entering collection and folder information into MCMS (the NPS museum database)
• Writing background and summary material for the finding aid.

The end product will be an archival collection that is re-housed in new folders and boxes, organized, and has a usable finding aid for researchers and park staff.

The intern will also have the opportunity to learn about cataloging, describing, and photographing historic museum objects and natural history objects. The intern may also assist with additional museum tasks such as taking inventory, packing collections, environmental monitoring, and Integrated Pest Management.

Learning Goals:

The intern will learn how to process a museum archival collection appropriately. They will think critically to determine the original order, or a new logical order, for the collection and effectively communicate in writing to assist researchers in using the collection in the future. They will learn about the nationally significant story of one or more of the three Lake Superior Collection Management Center parks by researching the histories of particular families whose papers they will organize and describe. In addition, they will be exposed to museum cataloging and handling of museum objects.

Mentorship:

The intern will be mentored by both the park Archivist and the Supervisory Museum Curator. The intern will have the opportunity to shadow both staff members and attend park management and compliance meetings, museum/archival in-person meetings, and virtual trainings. The intern will also take field trips to partner sites, such as local historical societies and closed copper mines. If desired, the intern can also shadow or talk with the park historian and historical architect to learn more about the park’s cultural resources. There will likely be two other interns in the park simultaneously, so there will be plenty of opportunities for cross-training and socializing.

Requirements:

• Ability to think critically
• Legible and neat handwriting
• Basic computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Office software

Desired Skills and Qualifications:

• Ideal candidate is working towards or has a degree in archives management, museum studies, history, art history, or similar major
• Relevant coursework includes archival methods, museum studies, and history research
• Candidate should have excellent communication skills, the ability to problem solve and make decisions, history research skills, and be detail oriented

Minimum Requirements

• Must be able to pass a federal background check
• Must be between 16 and 30 years of age
• Must be U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident
• Current student or recent graduate (no more than two years) from a Historically Black College and University
• Full participation in a workshop from August 3^rd – 8^th, 2025

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

Keweenaw National Historical Park is actively pursuing a Respectful, Inclusive, Safe, and Engaged (RISE) workplace. We are committed to collaborative work, which is not possible without embracing diversity in its many forms. For this park, Diversity represents the wide range of visible and invisible differences and similarities that make each of us unique. In practice, the park team embraces diversity by actively incorporating people of different backgrounds, perspectives, thoughts, and beliefs throughout the organization to ensure that our work and our perspectives on the work are advantaged by the best thinking possible. We have a long way to go to create a workforce that represents all Americans, but we are absolutely committed to the effort. In order to help make this a reality, harassment, discrimination, and behavior that does not respect the value of each employee is not tolerated.

More About the Location:

The park’s Calumet Unit is located in four historic buildings within two blocks in the middle of Calumet, as well as the Quincy Unit, about 10 miles away.

Based in historic Calumet, Michigan, the National Park Service’s Lake Superior Collection Management Center (LSCMC) cares for the museum and archival collections of three Lake Superior National Parks: Isle Royale National Park (ISRO), Keweenaw National Historical Park (KEWE), and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PIRO). Keweenaw National Historical Park preserves and interprets the story of copper in the Keweenaw Peninsula from pre-history to the present day, with an emphasis on the geology of the unique resource, its extraction and use, immigration to the area from other parts of the world, and the communities that developed around and supported the mines.

Calumet is located in the center of the Keweenaw Peninsula, which is roughly fifteen miles wide, and extends nearly one hundred miles into Lake Superior. The area is noted for its rugged natural beauty, temperate four-season climate, abundant historic and cultural attractions, friendly locals, and off-the-beaten-track character. The Calumet area has a population of approximately 6,000 people, with amenities including a hospital, schools, restaurants, and some shopping. The cities of Houghton and Hancock are located approximately 12 miles south of Calumet and are full-service communities. Higher education services are available at Michigan Technological University and Gogebic Community College in Houghton and Finlandia University in Hancock. Summers are mild; daytime temperatures range from 65-90 degrees. Hiking, biking, boating, fishing, and camping are popular summertime recreational activities. Winters are snowy and mild, with average annual snowfalls of 250 inches, and temperatures ranging from 0-30 degrees. Winter recreational activities include downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.

Questions? Email us at [e-mail].

Interested? Apply now!