Photobook Research and Cataloging Graduate Intern

Job Type: Location Type: Not Specified

 

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, holds a distinguished collection of approximately 15,000 photographs covering much of the history of the medium. The collection is particularly noted for its Alfred Stieglitz holdings, the Lane Collection of American Modernism, and the Howard Greenberg Collection of mid-twentieth century photographs, while also encompassing a broader range of the history of the medium. The department is actively committed to expanding this legacy by foregrounding new and overlooked narratives, including photobooks-books conceived by photographers as complete artistic statements.

The William Morris Hunt Memorial Library has served as the research library of the Museum of Fine Arts since 1870, established at the museum’s founding. The library comprises a main library and nine curatorial department libraries, including the Photography Library. With combined holdings of more than 300,000 items across locations, the library collection supports research on the museum’s permanent collections, special exhibitions, and art history broadly, providing staff, scholars, and visitors with comprehensive access to materials spanning centuries of artistic practice and scholarship. The Library’s Special Collections include rare books, artists’ books, and other historical materials. Photobooks, closely aligned with the Photography Department’s collecting initiative, have become one of the newest and most actively growing areas within Special Collections.

The Departments of Photography and Library together invite applications for a detail-oriented and research-minded graduate intern to support our photobook collection. This cross-departmental position offers hands-on training of visual art scholarship and professional library practice, with responsibilities that include research, cataloging, documentation, and housing of photobooks.

Based primarily in the Photography department, the intern will also work closely with Library staff. Under the guidance of the Photography curators, the intern will research to learn how peer institutions museums acquire, store, catalogue, and make their photobook collections accessible. They will help evaluate, catalog, and house a significant group of photobooks at the MFA.

The internship also offers a unique opportunity to engage with curators of Photography and Japanese art who are preparing an exhibition centered on the archive of Kikuji Kawada’s landmark photobook Chizu/The Map, acquired by the MFA in recent years.

Supervised jointly by the Chair of Photography and the Director of Libraries, the intern will gain exposure to both curatorial and administrative aspects of museum work within a large, complex institution. They will attend department meetings in both Photography and the Library, gaining insight into acquisitions, collections management, conservation, and display of photography in a museum setting.

The ideal candidates must be able to work onsite 8-10 hours per week and join in intern professional development activities* for up to two hours per week, (12:30-2:30pm on Fridays), from January 23 through April 24, 2026. Graduate interns are required to attend the Museums in Context professional development course on dates to be announced at the orientation. Graduate interns are also required to attend the Jan 23 orientation as well as the Apr 24 and “Meet the Leadership Team” sessions of Museum Pathways & Practices series. (“Meet the Leadership Team” date to be announced at orientation.)

The selected intern will be paid at a rate of $ 19.95 per hour. Each intern will receive a $90 per month transportation subsidy. (This subsidy is subject to taxes.)

As we amplify our efforts toward becoming a truly inclusive institution and fostering the next generation of museum staff, the MFA actively encourages students from all backgrounds to apply to the program.

Key Responsibilities

Photobook Research:

• Conduct in-depth research on photobooks and best practices for collecting, organizing, describing, and preserving photobooks.
• Working with the photography curators, analyze photobooks as artistic and cultural objects of significance.
• Assist with upcoming preparation of Kikuji Kawada Chizu/The Map exhibition from the collection.

Cataloging & Documentation:

• Input cataloging data into library management systems with accuracy and consistency using established library standards.
• Research and verify bibliographic information including publication details and editions.
• Assess physical condition and address preservation needs.
• Contribute to collection development recommendations.

Required Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in or very recent graduate (within one year) of library science, art history, photography, museum studies, or related field
• Strong research skills and attention to detail
• Knowledge of photography history and the photobook medium
• Familiarity with databases and digital cataloging tools
• Background in visual arts or photography studies preferred.
• Previous library, archive, or museum experience preferred.
• *Ability to work onsite 8-10 hours per week and join in intern professional development activities* for up to two hours per week, (12:30-2:30pm on Fridays), from January 23 through April 24, 2026. Graduate interns are required to attend the Museums in Context professional development course on dates to be announced at the orientation. Graduate interns are also required to attend the Jan 23 orientation as well as the Apr 24 and “Meet the Leadership Team” sessions of Museum Pathways & Practices series. (“Meet the Leadership Team” date to be announced at orientation.)
• Ability to attend orientation on Fri, Jan 23, 2026, 10am to 3:30pm.

How to Apply

• DO NOT INCLUDE any document (e.g., transcripts, writing samples, or even recommendations), that is not specifically requested within this description.

1. Combine your cover letter and resume into a single document, (Word or PDF). The cover letter must include all of the following:
   1. the title of the internship for which you are applying (one internship per application)
   2. how the named internship fits into your academic and/or career goals.
   3. why your specific skills/experience/interests qualify you for the internship.
   4. any periods when you are not available for an interview.
   5. your contact information including e-mail and daytime phone
2. Save your document file as (LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_POSITIONTITLE_Spring2026)
3. Upload the single document as your resume via the ADP portal Internships | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ASAP before December 3, 2025.
4. Candidates may apply for no more than two internships per season and must submit a separate cover letter/resume document for each position.
5. **Direct any/all questions to: intern@mfa.org before submitting your application.

**Applications not conforming to these guidelines may be deemed ineligible.