(Part-time, paid)
The Morgan Library & Museum welcomes applications for its 2024–2025 academic year internship program. The program will provide an introduction to the variety of career opportunities available in museums and special collection libraries. Each intern will be assigned to a department relevant to their interest and work with departmental staff on timely topics in that area. Interns will also have the opportunity to learn about the Morgan, and the museum and special collection fields more generally, through professional development opportunities such as facility tours and meetings with museum leadership.
These are on-site, paid internships for schedules of up to fourteen hours per week. Please see detailed application instructions below. The Morgan especially seeks to provide opportunities to candidates from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the museum and special collection libraries fields.
For the academic year 2024–2025, internships are available in the following areas:
Ancient Western Asian Seals & Tablets Internship
This internship within the curatorial department of Ancient Western Asian Seals and Tablets provides an immersive and practical experience tailored for students aspiring to pursue careers in art, art history, archaeology, libraries, or museums. Working closely with the department head, the intern will actively contribute to two ongoing departmental projects: organizing and preparing a collection of modern seal impressions for archival purposes and organizing digital and physical images of seals and impressions for a publication. The intern will handle archaeological objects and work with archival materials, including photographs. They will have the unique opportunity to receive specialized training in ancient seal carving and the art of creating seal impressions.
Communications and Marketing Internship
The Communications and Marketing Department is interested in hosting an intern to work in collaboration with the department to implement a communications campaign around the opening of our major exhibitions Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy, Franz Kafka and Book of Marvels. The intern will also assist with social media content creation, provide support for the Morgan’s 2025 exhibition campaign, help with operating the College Ambassadors program, and research projects as needed.
Graham S. Haber Cultural Heritage Collections Photography Internship
This internship will provide an introduction to the Morgan’s digital imaging studio and training with professional digital imaging equipment and software. The intern will learn to create archival quality digital images of rare materials in the Morgan’s collection, which spans from Ancient Western Asian seals and tablets to contemporary drawings and photography, while also learning the crucial role of digital imaging in museums and special collections, cultural heritage imaging standards, and the many uses of a wide variety of images produced.
Imaging and Rights Internship
This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain experience in Imaging and Rights. The successful candidate will assist with Morgan publications and exhibitions, organizing images and spreadsheets, assisting with color proofing and maintaining image and copyright credits. The intern will also update metadata in image files such as Morgan Digital Assets (MDA) and continue with ingesting digitized music images into MDA. This requires accessing databases, embedding metadata into image files, and after MDA ingest, reviewing, revising and correcting data when necessary.
Literary and Historical Manuscripts Internship
This intern will provide research support for two upcoming 2027 exhibitions, on Oscar Wilde and James Ivory. The intern will also be involved in the installation of the Belle de Costa Greene show and provide research support involving compiling research materials, creating an annotated bibliography, building preliminary checklists in Google Sheets, and viewing collection objects with curators at the Morgan and perhaps at NYPL.
Modern & Contemporary Drawings Internship
The Department of Modern and Contemporary Drawings at The Morgan Library & Museum seeks an intern to work directly with and be mentored by the curatorial team. The intern’s responsibilities will include identifying collection items that need imaging, adding images to artist files, ongoing collection research in libraries and archives, writing short descriptions and wall labels, as well as conducting future exhibition research. The candidate should have knowledge of and interest in modern and contemporary art and be available two days per week.
Printed Books and Bindings Internship
The Printed Books and Bindings internship will focus on the material culture of European Renaissance libraries, including the function of libraries as a location of visual display and the role of bookbinding in the larger field of Renaissance art history. The intern will help research a significant collection of recently acquired Renaissance books towards the creation of an object list and bibliography for a possible exhibition on this topic. Working with the associate curator, the intern will gain hands-on experience with Renaissance books, the handling of rare materials, and other aspects of a curatorial position in rare books.
Public Programs Internship
This internship in Public Programs offers an opportunity to assist in the planning and production of the Morgan’s exhibition and collections-based programs, including concerts and other live arts, film screenings, lectures, symposia, and other public programs. The candidate should demonstrate a keen interest in the history, literature, and visual and performing arts. The intern will assist in the production of programs related to the exhibitions Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy and Franz Kafka as well as research programs for 2026–2027. The candidate will assist with light board operation and audio/visual support, and will liaise with presenters and the public during rehearsals, set-up, and program implementation. Additionally, the candidate will provide administrative support including attendance tracking, data collection and reporting, and budgeting. The schedule will include weekday and evening hours (approximately one or two evenings per week), with occasional weekend hours.
School, Youth & Family Programs Education Internship
The School, Youth & Family Program intern participates in the Morgan’s school, family, and teen programs, including the Morgan Book Project and exhibition programming. The candidate should demonstrate a keen interest in the field of museum education and in the visual arts, attention to detail, and solid writing and communication skills. The intern will assist in the weekly implementation of school programs, including set-up and clean-up of classes, the maintenance of program supplies, and administrative support. The candidate will observe the Morgan’s school programming and be trained to teach school tours, including onsite and offsite events. The candidate will additionally participate in family and teen workshops. Some weekend and evening hours will apply.
Compensation:
$18 per hour.
Academic year internships are onsite at the Morgan, with interns generally working up to fourteen hours per week, beginning in mid-September and running through early to mid-May.
To apply:
Interns will be selected on a competitive basis via an application process. The deadline to apply for an internship is August 1, 2024.
To apply, submit the following materials, in English, via email as a single PDF to the following address: internships@themorgan.org (In the subject line please include the following format: First and Last Name – Internship you are applying to)
- A cover letter containing the following information:
- The internship of interest to you. Specify ONE from the following:
- Ancient Western Asian Seals & Tablets Internship
- Communications and Marketing Internship
- Graham S. Haber Cultural Heritage Collections Photography Internship
- Imaging and Rights Internship
- Literary and Historical Manuscripts Internship
- Modern & Contemporary Drawings Internship
- Public Programs Internship
- Printed Books and Bindings Internship
- School, Youth & Family Education Internship
- A statement regarding your interest in the museum or library field, and your future aspirations.
- A statement about why diversity and inclusion are important to you within the museum or library field, and how this opportunity will assist your career goals?
- The internship of interest to you. Specify ONE from the following:
- Any other information that you would like to provide regarding your candidacy for a Morgan academic year internship.
- Your resume
- Please indicate the days of the week you would be available to be on-site at the Morgan as an intern and to participate in the professional development programs.
- The names and contact information of two references (please include the person’s name, title, organization, telephone number, and email address)
Please note that applications received without all requested information, including a cover letter, will not be considered. Candidates selected for interviews will be contacted before April 29, with notification of decision following soon thereafter. No phone calls, please.
About the Morgan Library & Museum
A museum and independent research library located in the heart of New York City, the Morgan Library & Museum began as the personal library of financier, collector, and cultural benefactor Pierpont Morgan. The Morgan offers visitors close encounters with great works of human accomplishment in a setting treasured for its intimate scale and historical significance. Its collection of manuscripts, rare books, music, drawings, and works of art comprise a unique and dynamic record of civilization, as well as an incomparable repository of ideas and of the creative process from 4000 BC to the present.
Support for the Morgan Library & Museum academic year Internship Program is provided by the Themis Brown Endowment Fund and the Graham S. Haber Cultural Heritage Collections Photography Internship Fund.
The Morgan Library & Museum receives many applications and inquiries for employment. Unfortunately, we are not able to respond to all of them. Due to the high volume of applicants, we can contact only those candidates whose skills and background best fit our needs.
Important to note:
Vaccination Requirement
To ensure the overall health and safety of the Morgan Library & Museum campus, all staff of the Morgan are required to be fully vaccinated and have received booster vaccines against the virus that causes COVID-19, absent qualifying exemptions for medical, religious, or other reasons in accordance with applicable laws.
EEO Statement
The Morgan is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to complying with all federal, state, and local equal employment opportunity laws. The Morgan provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, military or veteran status, domestic violence victim status or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws.
