Oral History & Digital Archives Intern

Collectionsthatcare; New York (NY); On-site; USD 43,000 - 51,000; Part time

Job summary

Weeksville Heritage Center in Central Brooklyn seeks an Oral History & Digital Archives Intern to support processing, preservation, documentation, and accessibility of its growing oral history collection and digital archives.

You will gain hands-on experience in oral history, archival processing, and digital preservation while working closely with the Collections Manager and Collections Assistant to ensure quality, organization, and researcher access.

Qualifications

• Preference for Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Public History, History, African American History/Studies, or related fields.
• Strong research, administrative, data processing, and organizational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including proofreading and editing.
• Ability to conduct historical, biographical, and genealogical research using archival resources.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Organized, detail oriented, and self-motivated.
• Knowledge of African American and Brooklyn history preferred.

Responsibilities

• Create, transcribe, review, and edit oral history transcripts.
• Research missing names, dates, locations, organizations in interviews.
• Create descriptive metadata and finding aids following museum/archival standards.
• Upload oral histories, transcripts, audiovisual files, photos, release forms into CatalogIt.
• Organize and maintain digital audio, video, transcripts, images, documents.
• Assist with processing, digitization, and long-term preservation of oral histories and digital collections.
• Perform quality control of oral history records.
• Assist with research requests from staff, scholars, and public.
• Perform other collections, archives, and oral history-related duties as assigned.

Skills

Strong research skills

Administrative skills

Data processing

Organizational skills

Written & verbal communication

Independent work

Teamwork

Detail oriented

Self-motivated

Knowledge of African American history

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in related field

Tools

CatalogIt

Job description

Summary

The Oral History & Digital Archives Intern will work closely with the Collections Manager and Collections Assistant to support the processing, preservation, documentation, and accessibility of Weeksville Heritage Center’s growing oral history collection and digital archives while gaining hands‑on experience in oral history, archival processing, digital preservation, and collections management.

Primary Responsibilities

• Create, transcribe, review, and edit oral history transcripts for accuracy, completeness, and consistency.
• Research and identify missing names, dates, locations, organizations, and other contextual information referenced in oral history interviews.
• Create descriptive metadata and finding aids following museum and archival standards to improve organization and researcher access.
• Upload oral histories, transcripts, audiovisual files, photographs, release forms, and related documentation into CatalogIt.
• Organize and maintain digital audio, video, transcript, image, and document files according to departmental file management and digital preservation procedures.
• Assist with processing, digitization, and long-term preservation of oral histories anddigital archival collections.
• Perform quality control of oral history records to ensure completeness, accuracy, and consistency.
• Assist with research requests from staff, scholars, and members of the public, as assigned.
• Perform other collections, archives, and oral history-related duties, as assigned.

Key Details

Stipend: $4,200

Term: The internship will begin in early fall and last approximately 3 months, with an opportunity to extend to 6-7 months total in the spring. Specific start dates and work schedule are flexible.

Schedule: 14 hours/week

Deadline: ASAP (Posted August 13, 2026)

Eligibility

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Qualifications

• Preference will be given toward candidates that have or are working towards a Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree in any of the following areas of study: Public History, History, African American History/Studies, Africana Studies, Museum, Heritage or Archival Studies, Library and Information Science, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Sociology, Journalism, Digital Humanities, Communications, or related fields; will also consider coursework in these areas.
• Strong research, administrative, data processing, and organizational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including proofreading and editing.
• Ability to conduct historical, biographical, and genealogical research using archival, library, and online resources.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
• Organized, detail oriented, and self-motivated.
• Previous experience with museums, archives, libraries, oral history projects, or digital collections is valued but not required.
• Knowledge of African American and Brooklyn history preferred.

About

Weeksville Heritage Center (WHC) is a historic site and cultural center in Central Brooklyn that uses education, arts, and a social justice lens to preserve, document and inspire engagement with the history of Weeksville, one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America, and the Historic Hunterfly Road Houses. Founded in 1838, Weeksville was the second largest of approximately 100 independent African‑American communities established before the Civil War.