Collections Intern (PAID)

POSITION TITLE Collections Intern (PAID) REPORTS THROUGH Stefanie Terasaki, Associate Registrar DEPARTMENT Collections SUPERVISES Does not supervise others UPDATED January 2024 SALARY $20/hr POSITION TYPE Temporary Why MoPOP We’re really glad you’re thinking about joining the team at MoPOP! We believe pop culture is a universal language capable of building connections across a range of people, no matter our differences in race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, education, socio-economic status, ethnicity, country of origin, or any other characteristic that makes us who we are.
For more than twenty years, we have been showcasing how music, film, fashion, video games, sports, and more spark those connections and create a lasting cultural impact.
MoPOP provides both a physical space and an emotional and intellectual opportunity for people from any background to explore, find and build community, and recognize their own creative potential.
This applies not only to our guests, but also to our staff — be it in designing an educational program to engage the next generation of creators, trying to reach a new audience with a marketing initiative, preserving an artifact in our collection, or providing excellent customer service to a visitor.
If this sounds like something you’d be into, we’d love to hear from you! MoPOP’s Mission and Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Our mission is to make creative expression a life-changing force by offering experiences that inspire and connect our communities.
A nonprofit grounded in five core values — open arms, creative exchanges, light bulb moments, pursuing excellence, and excitement — MoPOP is actively committed to ongoing learning in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).
In partnership with our community, we hope to also develop safe spaces for their application.
This includes taking steps to continue increasing our awareness of institutional “-isms,” as well as uncovering and undoing the ways they show up in museum culture.
We recognize this is a process that requires intentionality, energy, and resources, and we are developing a DEIA framework that can cultivate a work environment and museum experience that is truly welcoming for all.
We are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
We believe that having staff, interns, and volunteers with diverse backgrounds enables us to better meet our mission and encourage BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ individuals to apply.
We acknowledge that our work to build safe spaces and better systems for traditionally marginalized groups is ongoing and will require constant vigilance and expect all MoPOP employees to be part of our DEIA journey.
Position Summary The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) seeks a grant funded intern to help digitize 100 objects from the MoPOP permanent collection related to artists prominent in King County’s Jazz, Rhythm & Blues and Rock and Roll scene during the 1950s – 1960s, as well as the Funk and Soul scene during the 1960s and 1970s.
Digitization activity would include: capturing high quality photographic images of the objects, writing detailed historical descriptions, and ensuring all metadata information was updated and accurate for the publicly accessible online collections database.
This project seeks to minimize the handling of the posters, photographs, sound recordings, and other ephemera in the collection, by digitizing and reducing the need to handle them in future research and dissemination projects.
The intern will be trained on artifact cataloging, as well as the collections database TMS (The Museum System), with a focus on learning collections management best practices.
Towards the internship’s conclusion, the intern has the opportunity to present their work at an organization-wide community event hosted by MoPOP’s Advancement Department.
Additionally, as a member of the Collections team, the intern may also assist with artifact rehousing, condition reporting, loan management observation and other core collections duties as opportunities arise.
This position starts in late April 2024 and ends in late September with a commitment of 15 hours per week at $20/hr depending on a mutually agreed upon schedule.
Some flexibility available regarding terms and hours.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities Job Duties Cataloging and metadata creation for 100 permanent collection objects including description writing Data entry and clean-up in MoPOP’s collections management database, TMS (The Museum System) Flat photography and scanning of materials as needed for cataloging purposes Present work/project to museum colleagues and the wider MoPOP community General collections management support – artifact handling, rehousing, condition reporting as opportunities arise Other duties as assigned Learning Opportunities This is an excellent opportunity to work within a small collections team responsible for 80,000+ artifacts The intern will gain experience in collections best practices and metadata creation Demonstrate project leadership, management and ownership Gain insight into the inner workings of MoPOP Qualifications (Education/Experience/Certification) Current college or graduate student ideally pursuing a degree in Museology, Archives Management, or related field Strong computer skills with attention to detail Able to conduct thorough research and write historical descriptions Track record of working well in a team environment and comfortable working independently Commitment to and enthusiasm for the mission of MoPOP—passion for pop culture a plus! Strong communication and time management skills Organized, detail-oriented, a self-starter Ability to think creatively and come up with resourceful ideas and solutions Work Environment & Physical Demands The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential customer-service functions.
While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to sit, stand and walk.
The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms.
The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
The employee is frequently required to lift up to 30 pounds, and occasionally up to 50 pounds.
Benefits This Temporary part-time position includes Seattle Sick/Safe, EAP, 401k plan with vested match schedule once eligible, and subsidized transportation benefits for Orca Pass or parking.
Please email jobs@MoPOP.
org if you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or hiring process.