Job Listing
 🔗Archival Collections Intern – 1200 hours

  • Internship
  • NCPE Internship
  • Harpers Ferry, WV
  • $18.50 USD / Hour
  • Applications have closed
  • Department: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park - Museum Management Program
  • Job Reference #: 4085a
  • Job Summary: Process past archeology field notes for long term storage. Assist with general museum operations including, but not limited to, housekeeping, integrated pest management, and environmental data collection.
  • Job Qualifications:

    Strong organizational skills, ability to work independently, and attention to detail is a must.
    Museum-related coursework is preferred, e.g. public history, museum studies, archival management, or equivalent.
    Recent graduates also preferred but not required.

  • How to Apply:

    Click on the application button at this listing and follow the instructions to apply online.

  • Job benefits: Paid Time Off (PTO), Housing Allowance
  • Physical Demands / Work Environment: Primarily sedentary but should be able to lift 40 pounds.
  • Application Email: waso_cr-intern@nps.gov

National Park Service/NCPE Internship Program

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park has collections that are spread over 3 onsite storage spaces, 8 exhibits, and the Museum Resource Center (MRCE) in Landover, Maryland. The collection consists of approximately 1.1 million objects broken down to approximately 770,000 archeology, 16,000 history, 300,000 archives, and 600 natural history. The park is approximately 1.5 hours from downtown Washington D. C. and 1 hour from the northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is a 3,500-acre park with a storied Civil War history located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers in West Virginia. The collection consists of approximately 1.1 million objects, most of which are archeological, but also contain historical, archival, and natural history items.

The internship will focus on organizing, rehousing, describing, and scanning archeological field documents and final reports for long-term storage. Once the project is complete, the removal of this collection to the region’s central storage area, the Museum Resource Center (MRCE) in Landover, MD, will occur. As part of this project, overnight travel to MRCE is planned for the delivery of these collections. Once delivery is complete, a secondary project involves rehousing oversized archival materials in collections storage. Additionally, the intern will assist the collections staff in other aspects of managing and operating a robust museum program such as developing social media posts, performing basic housekeeping, integrated pest management, and environmental data collection.

This position is part of the Internship Program administered by the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE). The program is a partnership between the National Park Service and NCPE. The successful applicants must be 30 years of age or younger (or 35 years or younger if a Veteran) when they begin the internship. Other eligibility requirements apply; visit https://preservenet.org/ncpe-internships/ for details and instructions on how to apply.

Qualified NCPE interns who complete their internships may count their position towards earning a Public Land Corps (PLC) Non-Competitive Hiring Authority certificate.  Once earned, the PLC hiring authority certificate may be used to apply for eligible Federal temporary, term, or permanent positions. Visit the website listed above for details about this benefit. Successful completion of the internship does not guarantee Federal employment.