Collections Managememt Intern – Stewart Photography Collection

Collections That Care; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Part time

Job summary

The National Building Museum is seeking a graduate-level intern to assist in organizing and inventorying the George Stewart Photography Collection. The role supports documentation across the collection and operates under the Director of Collections within the museum's multi-year strategic plan.

Responsibilities include training in cataloging, data standards, handling, digitization, and rehousing; organizing at the project level; data entry in Excel; and researching photograph content and

Qualifications

• Candidates must be enrolled in or recently graduated from a graduate program.
• Previous experience with museum collections preferred.
• Knowledge of proper archival and collections management techniques.
• Self-starter that can work independently.
• Be creative and a problem solver.
• Ability to work well in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Undergo training in cataloging and data standards, object handling, digitization, and rehousing.
• Organize and Inventory transparencies from the Stewart Collection at the project level.
• Enter data into Excel spreadsheets for future cataloging at the item level.
• Rehouse materials in archival boxes and folders, as needed.
• Research the content and location of photographs, as needed.

Skills

Self-starter

Creativity

Teamwork

Education

Graduate degree program enrollment

Job description

Summary

The National Building Museum is currently seeking a graduate-level intern to help organize and inventory transparencies in the George Stewart Photography Collection. The Stewart Photography Collection consists of 180,000 transparencies related to the company’s work as construction progress photographers from 1950 through 2005. The Museum received 130,000 transparencies in 2001 and promptly organized and inventoried the first 100,000 transparencies from 1,600 projects. An additional 60,000 transparencies were donated in 2026, completing the collection. Now the second half of the collection needs to be organized and inventoried at the project level to ensure comprehensive documentation across the entire collection. Alongside the Director of Collections, the inventory intern will continue organizing and inventorying the collection as part of the Museum’s multi-year strategic plan for documenting projects found in our permanent collection.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Undergo training in cataloging and data standards, object handling, digitization, and rehousing.
• Organize and Inventory transparencies from the Stewart Collection at the project level.
• Enter data into Excel spreadsheets for future cataloging at the item level.
• Rehouse materials in archival boxes and folders, as needed.
• Research the content and location of photographs, as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Details

Compensation: $20/hour

Duration: 200 hours (starts January 18, 2027)

Schedule:PT (2–3 days/week)

Deadline: October 18, 2026

Eligibility

Qualifications

• Candidates must be enrolled in or recently graduated from a graduate program.
• Previous experience with museum collections preferred.
• Knowledge of proper archival and collections management techniques
• Self-starter that can work independently.
• Be creative and a problem solver.
• Ability to work well in a team environment.

About

The National Building Museum inspires curiosity about the world we design and build.

We are a private non-profit institution that transforms understanding of the history and impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and design. The National Building Museum educates, entertains, and engages people about the built environment and challenges them to advocate for a sustainable and equitable future.