Collections Management Intern- Lautman Photography

National-Building-Museum; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Part time

Job summary

The National Building Museum is seeking two graduate-level interns to organize, catalog, scan, and rehouse photographs from the Robert C. Lautman Photography Collection.

The Lautman Collection includes tens of thousands of items and related materials, with the project running alongside the Assistant Registrar & Collections Specialist to prepare records for upload. Interns will be trained in cataloging, data standards, object handling, digitization, and archiving techniques, and will work

Qualifications

• Enrolled in or recently graduated from a graduate program.
• Experience with museum collections preferred.
• Knowledge of archival and collections management techniques.
• Self-starter and able to work independently.
• Able to work well in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Catalog, scan, and rehouse photographs from the Lautman Collection.
• Enter data into Excel for bulk uploads into the database.
• Digitize collections using scanner, lightboard, and camera.
• Research content and locations of photographs as needed.
• Train in cataloging, data standards, and handling; perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills

Self-starter

Teamwork

Problem solving

Education

Graduate student or recent graduate

Tools

Excel

Job description

Description

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.

Position Description

The National Building Museum is currently seeking two graduate-level interns to help organize, catalog, scan, and rehouse photographs from the Robert C. Lautman Photography Collection. The Lautman Collection consists of 77,000 prints, negatives, transparencies, and slides as well as books, magazines, cameras, and other ephemera related to Lautman's practice as an architectural photographer. The Museum received the collection in 2006 and promptly organized, inventoried, and rehoused half of the photographic materials. The second half of the collection was recently inventoried and is now being brought up to standard as part of a multi-year, grant-funded project. Alongside the Assistant Registrar & Collections Specialist, Photographs interns will continue cataloging and scanning this collection in preparation for uploading the records to the Museum’s collections management database.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Undergo training in cataloging and data standards, object handling, digitization, and box-making and rehousing.
• Catalog, scan, and rehouse photographs from the Robert C. Lautman Photography Collection.
• Enter data into excel spreadsheets for bulk upload into the Museum’s collections management database and collections website.
• Digitize collections using flatbed scanner, lightboard, and digital camera.
• Research the content and location of photographs, as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

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

Interns must be available to work onsite 2-3 days each week totaling 400 hours over the internship term. Hours of position are very flexible but must occur Monday – Thursday; between 9:00am and 4:00pm. The position will start the week of January 18, 2026, with a mandatory orientation day the first week, based on intern cohort and staff availability.

Interns will be paid $20 per hour for their work on this project including orientation and any required training. We will also work with your graduate program to ensure you receive academic credit for your work, if possible. Application closes October 18, 2026.