Curatorial Inventory Internship – Summer 2026
Internship Description:
The intern will gain practical, hands-on experience through assisting with the inventory of the Antique Boat Museum’s small artifacts including a diverse array of hardware, tools, and other material culture related to recreational boating. The intern will learn some of the opportunities and challenges that arise in a professional museum setting through this experience. Given the size of the Museum’s small artifact collection, this internship is designed as a 2-person team project. This internship would be ideal for a student pursuing an undergraduate or master’s degree in museum studies who has an interest in cataloging and registrar work.
Project Goals and Description:
- Inventory and rehousing of small artifacts collection.
- Handle collection objects appropriately and according to established protocols.
- Develop inventories and create accurate database catalog records in CatalogIt.
- Photograph objects according to digitization specifications.
- Assist with developing better methods of storing objects with unique dimensions (eg. sails/rigging and half hulls).
- Work within the museum’s digital catalog system after appropriate training.
- Work with 1-2 museum volunteers as needed on the project.
- Some preparatory work prior to starting in-person may be requested.
- Assist with special events as needed.
- May have the occasional opportunity to assist with research requests, processing and cataloguing donations and associated paperwork, scanning and creation of metadata records using state of the art technologies and a digitization library, lead guided tours, and learn about the work of other departments at the Museum.
Qualifications:
- Undergraduate or Graduate student who has completed at least 2 years in Art History, Museum Studies, Anthropology, Outdoor Sciences, or History with an interest in curatorial/library disciplines.
- Detail-oriented with advanced computer skills.
- Experience handling historic artifacts and objects
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
- Must be able to reach, lift, carry, push, and pull for placement of archival boxes, rolls, etc.
On water experience or interest in maritime history is a plus.