Archives and Records Management Intern: Artwork Documentation

Position Description

The Archives and Records Management internship aims to provide the intern with a well-rounded experience and offers them an opportunity to learn more about the archives and information science professions. The intern will work one-on-one with Archivist/Records Manager to continue a pilot project focused on centralizing access and contribution to artwork-related documentation for objects accessioned into the museum’s art collection.

• Survey and inventory incoming born-digital documents.
• Upload and describe documents into the museum’s digital asset management system.
• Ensure incoming information about the object is reflected in the collection management system.

Project Plan

• Get to know the SFMOMA Archives & Records Management Department.
• Learn about the archives’ role and collections, particularly as it relates to artwork documentation.
• Meet the team and learn about each person’s role and path to SFMOMA.
• Learn about museum object files.
• Learn about what constitutes an object record, and the history and current use of object files at SFMOMA.
• Become familiar with who contributes to object records and for what purposes.
• Receive training on the various systems and workflows where museum object information and documentation are created and accessed.
• Understand how they all connect and how one will be using all those tools to preserve and provide broader access to object documentation.
• Learn how to digitize archival materials.
• Compile digital object files.
• Prepare files for upload into digital asset management system.
• Upload and describe files in the digital asset management system, and link them to the collections management system.
• Draft new and/or update standards and procedures for collecting, organizing, uploading, and describing digital object records.

Qualifications & Skills

• Must be a current student in or recent graduate of a Masters-level program in library science, records management/administration, museum studies, or related program.
• Detail-oriented and extremely organized.
• Interest in archives and records management, specifically in a museum setting.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft 365 (including Teams and SharePoint), and task-management applications such as Asana and Airtable.
• Experience handling fragile objects, particularly paper and audiovisual materials.

Application Requirements

• Intern application on SFMOMA job site.
• Resume, in PDF format.
• Cover letter stating the specific internship of interest, in PDF format.
• Description of the experience you bring, why you are interested in museum or nonprofit work, reasons for applying to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and your goals for the internship.
• Two letters of recommendation from either a college professor or current/former employer, in PDF format.
• College/university transcript, in PDF format.
• If you are currently enrolled in a master's or PhD program, please provide the transcript for your current program, not your undergraduate transcript.

Position’s Workspace

The position’s workspace is divided between the museum’s Third Street location and its Collection Center in South San Francisco, dependent on assigned projects.

Job Posting Open Date

The position posting is open from 5/18/26.

Location

San Francisco, 151 3rd Street.