Graduate Archives Internship, Ashby Historical Society (Ashby, MA)

Posted August 5, 2026

Internship Overview

The Ashby Historical Society and Ashby Free Public Library seek a graduate student intern interested in archival management, digital preservation, metadata, local history, and public access to historical collections. Working under the supervision of the Library Director and in collaboration with members of the Ashby Historical Society, the intern will gain hands-on experience working with original historical materials and preparing selected collections for digitization, digital publication, and public exhibition.

This is a rigorous, project-based internship that combines archival theory with practical experience in appraisal, arrangement, description, metadata creation, digitization preparation, preservation, and public interpretation.

Primary Responsibilities

The intern will:

• Survey and assess selected historical materials held by the Ashby Historical Society and/or Ashby Free Public Library.
• Work directly with original documents and other archival materials, including photographs, manuscripts, correspondence, records, ephemera, and other local historical materials.
• Assist with appraisal and selection of materials appropriate for digitization and public access.
• Develop or refine intellectual and physical arrangement of selected materials.
• Create descriptive information and metadata appropriate for submission to Digital Commonwealth, Massachusetts’ statewide digital library.
• Research and apply appropriate metadata standards and controlled vocabularies.
• Identify and document creator, title, date, subject, description, geographic, and other relevant descriptive information.
• Research provenance, historical context, and biographical or institutional information when necessary to improve description.
• Identify potential copyright, privacy, donor-restriction, and other access considerations.
• Prepare materials for digitization, including physical organization, numbering, file naming, tracking, and quality-control documentation.
• Develop inventories, finding aids, item lists, or collection-level descriptions as appropriate.
• Assist with the preparation of selected materials for physical or digital exhibition.
• Develop interpretive labels, captions, introductory text, or other public-facing materials based on the archival research.
• Consider issues of cultural sensitivity, privacy, historical context, and ethical archival description.
• Document workflows and make recommendations for the continued management and digitization of local archival collections.

Learning Objectives

By the conclusion of the internship, the student will be able to:

1. Apply archival principles to the appraisal, arrangement, description, preservation, and access of primary-source materials.
2. Demonstrate practical knowledge of archival descriptive and metadata practices.
3. Create metadata suitable for a statewide digital repository such as Digital Commonwealth.
4. Evaluate copyright, privacy, access, provenance, and ethical considerations associated with archival materials.
5. Develop a coherent workflow for preparing historical materials for digitization.
6. Conduct primary-source research and use that research to improve archival description and interpretation.
7. Translate archival research into meaningful public exhibits and interpretive materials.
8. Explain the relationship between physical collections, digital preservation, metadata, discovery, and public access.
9. Produce professional archival documentation that can be retained and used by the participating institutions after completion of the internship.

Major Internship Project

The intern will complete a defined archival project resulting in a tangible professional product. Depending on the collection selected, the final project may include:

• An archival inventory or finding aid;
• A digitization-ready collection or series;
• A complete metadata spreadsheet;
• A collection-level description and item-level records;
• A Digital Commonwealth submission package;
• An exhibition or digital exhibit;
• Interpretive labels and supporting historical research; or
• A documented archival processing and digitization workflow.

Professional Development

The intern will have opportunities to observe and participate in the intersection of archives, public libraries, museums, and local history. The student will work with both library and historical society stakeholders and will gain experience communicating archival concepts to volunteers, trustees, community members, and the general public.

Supervision and Evaluation

The intern will receive regular supervision from the Ashby Free Public Library Director, with consultation from appropriate members of the Ashby Historical Society. Progress will be reviewed throughout the internship, with a formal assessment of the student’s work at its conclusion.

Evaluation will consider:

• Professionalism and reliability;
• Quality and accuracy of archival description;
• Application of archival and metadata principles;
• Research skills;
• Attention to preservation and handling requirements;
• Ability to work independently;
• Documentation of work processes;
• Quality of the final project; and
• Ability to articulate and evaluate the professional decisions made during the internship.

Ideal Candidate

This internship is particularly appropriate for an MLIS student interested in archives, special collections, digital curation, local history, museums, digital humanities, or cultural heritage institutions. Coursework or experience in archives, preservation, metadata, digitization, or special collections is desirable.

How To Apply

To apply email [email protected]. Ashby is located in North Central Massachusertts, the internship can be hybrid.