Job Opening Title:
Cape Ann Museum Archives Intern
Name of Employer:
Cape Ann Museum
Job Site Location (City AND State):
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Application Deadline:
May 01, 2026
Minimum Degree Requirement:
Bachelor’s
Years of experience required:
Salary Range:
Stipend: $18.75/hour
Job Opening URL:
https://www.capeannmuseum.org/about/career-opportunities/
Job Description (if URL to posting not available). Include instructions for how to apply:
About the Opportunity
The Cape Ann Museum (CAM) is a leading regional museum at the epicenter of artistic and marine history in the Northeast. The Museum’s nationally significant collections include fine and decorative arts and artifacts relating to Cape Ann’s earliest days as a major fishing and shipping port, its mid-19th century role in the granite industry, and the numerous artists who were attracted to its singular charms of light and sea, including such well known painters and sculptors as Fitz Henry Lane, Winslow Homer, Cecilia Beaux, John Sloan, Milton Avery, Anna Hyatt Huntington and Walker Hancock. The Museum’s Library & Archives as a facet of the Museum’s Collections overall is integral to CAM’s operations and provides a major public resource for the study of these topics and artists as well as the history of Cape Ann, past and present. Access to these collections and related scholarship is of paramount importance.
The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to offer two internship opportunities for current or incoming graduate level Library & Information Science students. The project that will be undertaken for this internship centers around the processing of a backlog of archival collections. The successful candidates will organize, create a finding aid, and digitize select items from one collection for addition to the Museum’s Library and Archives catalog, Quartex. Collection items range from manuscripts, sketchbooks, maps, photographs, ledgers, logbooks, etc. The interns may also be invited to help with additional projects in other areas of the Library & Archives.
Internship Summary
Under the guidance of the Head Librarian & Archivist and Assistant Librarian & Archivist, the CAM Archives Interns will learn about and work on a wide range of archival processing projects related to the Museum’s collections. The selected candidates will process recently acquired or unprocessed archival manuscript collections. This work includes assessing, arranging, housing, and creating a finding aid for the material. Additionally, the intern will learn how to do research in a special collections archive in service of enhancing the creation of an archival finding aid. Finally, the intern will gain an understanding of
cataloging standards and software to input material processed into the library’s online catalog, Quartex.
Duties
– Processing archival collections: Apply the core archival concepts of assessing, arranging, housing, and the creation of a finding aid to recently acquired or unprocessed archival manuscript and photographic collections.
– Cataloging: Learn how to use cataloging software to catalog processed archival material and collections, adhering to RDA and MARC standards.
– Digitizing: Aid in the scanning, uploading, and metadata creation for items to be added to the Museum’s digital collections page.
Additional Duties:
The intern will have the opportunity to attend organizational events such as staff meetings, tours, talks and lectures, as well as the ability to interact with other Museum professionals to learn about the intersection between a special collections library within a Museum and gain a broader understanding of the workplace.
Interns may have the opportunity to respond to researcher inquiries, either through email or in-person interactions, by researching the vast primary and secondary resources held by the Library and Archives.
At the conclusion of the internship, the intern will be asked to share what they have achieved with other Museum staff and the CAM community in either a written essay or through an online exhibit featuring digitized content from those collections they have processed. Candidates should be self-motivated, organized, and detail-oriented with strong computer and communication skills.
Qualifications
– Current or incoming graduate level Library & Information Science student
– Ability to commit 12-14 hours per week (on a scheduled day between Tuesday-Saturday) working on site at the Museum from mid-June to late-August (12 weeks) or until 160 hours are completed.
– Proficiency with Mac/PC, MS Office Suite and cloud-based services such as Dropbox.
– Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
– Self-motivated with proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively
– Excellent written and verbal communication skills
– Comfortable climbing ladders and working in small spaces
– Ability to lift 30 lbs.
– Must be able to work in environments that may contain dust, mold, and mildew.
Compensation:
Stipend: $18.75/hour.
To Apply
To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume by May 1, 2026, to library@capeannmuseum.org. Please specify “Summer Internship 2026 Application” in the subject line of your email. You may also submit your materials via postal mail to: Cape Ann Museum, Attn: Summer 2026 Archives Internship Application, 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Please indicate in your cover letter how this internship will be of value to your professional aspirations. If a candidate wishes to apply this internship towards course credit in their respective academic program, please be advised that the intern will be responsible for managing all associated paperwork.
The Cape Ann Museum has two campuses in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The Cape Ann Museum Green is located at 13 Poplar Street, Gloucester, MA, and within walking distance of the Gloucester stop on the MBTA’s Newburyport/Rockport commuter line. The downtown Cape Ann Museum campus is located at 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA.