The Morgan Library & Museum welcomes applications for its 2025 paid summer 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.
Please see detailed application instructions below. The Morgan especially seeks to provide opportunities to candidates with experiences and perspectives that have not been adequately reflected in the museum and special collection libraries fields.
For summer 2025, internships are available in the following areas:
Drawings and Prints Internship
The department of Drawings and Prints seeks an intern to assist with the sorting and cataloguing of the Janos Scholz archive. A cellist by profession, Scholz (1903–1993) became a major collector of Italian drawings, eventually giving more than 1500 sheets to the Morgan. His archive includes a wealth of information about his collection, and through his correspondence with scholars over more than fifty years also provides a microcosm of the art market, exhibition practice, provenance research, and scholarship on Italian drawings. The intern would work under the supervision of John Marciari, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Head of the Department of Drawings and Prints, and during residency at the Morgan would be exposed to all the activities of the curatorial department. Candidates should have an interest in archives and/or Italian art ca. 1450–1750 and ability to read one or more European languages.
Imaging and Rights Internship
This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain experience in Imaging and Rights. The successful candidate will assist with an inventory of analogue image assets and paper files, in addition to assisting with Morgan publications and exhibitions, organizing images and spreadsheets, assisting with color proofing and maintaining image and copyright credits. The intern will also update descriptive metadata in image files and will ingest these prepared image files into the Morgan digital asset management system (DAM). This requires accessing databases, embedding metadata into image files, and after DAM ingest, reviewing, revising and correcting data when necessary.
Modern and 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 upcoming exhibition research. The candidate should have knowledge of and interest in modern and contemporary art and be available a minimum of two days per week.
Photography Internship
The Department of Photography seeks a summer intern to work with the assistant curator of photography in organizing a collection of materials related to the origins and growth of the art market for photography. The project entails sequencing, filing, cataloguing, and, as required, researching a gift of printed matter that reflects the historical evolution of dedicated institutions (auctions, galleries, museum departments, other specialized institutions) around photography from the 1970s to the recent past. The collection includes invitations, flyers, catalogs and mailers, posters, conference brochures, checklists, price lists, press releases, clippings, and correspondence.
Public Programs Internship
The Public Programs intern participates in the Morgan’s exhibition and collections-based programs for adults and college students, including lectures, concerts, film screenings, workshops, virtual programs and gallery talks. The candidate should demonstrate a keen interest in the field of museum education and in arts and humanities, attention to detail, and excellent writing and communication skills. The intern will assist in researching and implementing programs, specifically the development of virtual programs and college tours. The candidate will support all programs during their internship, and will provide administrative support including attendance tracking, data collection and reporting, and survey collection and analysis. Saturdays and some evening hours may be required. Physical requirements include being mobile in public spaces for several hours at a time, and lifting, bending, reaching top shelves, and pushing carts. Proficiency in Microsoft Office required. The Public Programs Intern reports to the Manager of Public Programs. Please note: Preference will be given to candidates who are able to adapt to a schedule that will sometimes include Saturday or evening hours. Candidates should address this in their applications
Sherman Fairchild Reading Room Internship
The Sherman Fairchild Reading Room seeks an intern that will be an active member of the Reading Room team. The successful candidate will experience invigilating rare material, conduct preliminary research for readers and retrieve material from our Reference Collection. They will be supervised and mentored by the Head of Reader Services. Intern tasks will include but are not limited to sorting, paging, and reshelving reference books and other secondary source materials, including microfilms and internal files, as well as inputting and updating electronic records. The intern will also work on other library projects and miscellaneous office tasks related to statistical gathering and processing. The intern will work primarily in the Sherman Fairchild Reading Room. Candidates must be committed to working 28 hours per week.
School, Youth and Family Programs Education Internship
The School, Youth and Family Programs Intern participates in the Morgan’s summer youth programming, including summer camp tours, teacher professional development workshops, and teen and family programs. The candidate should demonstrate a keen interest in the field of museum education and in the arts and humanities, attention to detail, and excellent writing and communication skills. The intern will support all school and youth programs including researching and implementing programs, helping with set-up and clean-up of workshops, maintenance of program supplies, and administrative support including attendance tracking, data collection and reporting, and survey collection and analysis. Some weekend and evening hours may be required, including Saturday, June 14, Saturday, July 5, and Saturday, August 2. Physical requirements include being mobile in public spaces for several hours at a time, and lifting, bending, reaching top shelves, and pushing carts. Proficiency in Microsoft Office required. The School, Youth and Family Programs Intern reports to the Manager of School, Youth and Family Programs. Please note: Preference will be given to candidates who are able to adapt to a schedule that will sometimes include Saturday or evening hours. Candidates should address this in their applications.
Eligibility:
- Current enrollment as an undergraduate or graduate student.
- Strong interest in a career in the museum or library field.
- Eligibility to work in the United States (international candidates must be eligible to participate in a paid internship program in the United States).
- Strong verbal and written communications skills.
The Morgan requires all employees, including interns, to have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
$19 per hour.
Summer internships are onsite at the Morgan, with interns generally working up to twenty-eight hours per week for up to twelve weeks, beginning at the end of May and running through mid to late August.
Interns will be selected on a competitive basis via an application process. The deadline to apply for an internship is April 14, 2025.
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:
- Drawings and Prints
- Imaging and Rights
- Modern and Contemporary Drawings
- Photography
- Public Programs
- The Reading Room
- School, Youth, and Family Programs Education
- 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 29th, 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 J. Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913). The Morgan offers the public close encounters with great works of human accomplishment in a setting treasured for its intimate scale and historic significance. Its collections of manuscripts, rare books, music, drawings, and other works of art comprise a unique record of civilization, as well as an incomparable repository of ideas and the creative process.
Support for the Morgan Library & Museum summer Internship Program is provided by the Themis Brown Endowment Fund.