College students, graduate students, upper level high school students, and recent graduates can gain practical museum experience, as well as professional workplace experience and organizational skills, through part-time internships at the Museum during the summer and throughout the academic year.

Every semester, we offer two 150-hour unpaid internships for students in areas relevant to their field of study. Unlike our other volunteer opportunities, these internships involve more supervision from and collaboration with staff and can often be used to fulfill a college internship requirement. Internships can be tailored to specific student needs, interests, and learning objectives, and can include (but are not limited to) work in collections care, digital archiving, educational development, and marketing and social media. Placement is based on academic and extracurricular experience, expressed interest in specific fields, and advisor recommendations. 

In addition to receiving on-the-job training, interns have the opportunity to interact with one another and members of the Museum community.

To apply, please fill out our intern application form and someone will be in touch soon.

  • Collections Care and Management
    Collections interns have the opportunity to work with the museum’s diverse collections materials, including photographs, scrapbooks, oral histories, and historic artifacts. Collections interns can learn a variety of valuable skills including accessioning items in the PastPerfect digital platform, creating finding aids, object care, oral history transcription, and collections digitization.  
  • Digital Collections Management
    Digital collections management is a new and swiftly-growing field. Digital collections interns organize the Museum’s digital collection records, upload materials onto the Museum’s online archive, and learn best practices for digital management. Our digital collections include thousands of historic photographs, a robust archive of oral histories, artifact photographs, newspaper clippings, and more. Interns working with these collections will learn standards for naming and organizing digital files, as well as sharing them in the museum’s online platform: svm.omeka.net. Interns may also elect to create a digital online exhibit using materials they have digitized.
  • Education (not currently offered as a full time internship, but students can gain experience in this category)
    Education interns work with museum staff to design educational programming and lesson plans for school groups. Interns can co-lead walking tours, exhibit tours, and educational activities at the Museum as well as develop lesson plan materials for History-in-a-Box use in classrooms. 
  • Marketing & Social Media (not currently offered as a full time internship, but students can gain experience in this category)
    Social media interns will work with museum staff to create social media posts for Facebook and Instagram, research effective social media methodologies, and expand outreach (digital and material) for ongoing events. Interns working in this field also have the opportunity to create press releases, write research articles for the Black Mountain News, and develop an online store for SVM’s digital products. 
  • Programming & Special Events (not currently offered as a full time internship, but students can gain experience in this category) 

      Programming interns will assist museum staff with various indoor and outdoor events such as lectures, author readings, film screenings, hikes, and outdoor walking tours. Interns working in this field also have the opportunity to                utilize photography skills, learn how to use recording equipment, and create interesting summaries for public knowledge.

Fill Out Our Intern Application Form

NOTE: Students looking to do research required to complete a thesis or project are invited to make use of the museum’s primary resources to reference even if you do not complete an internship with us.

Have a community service requirement? Other volunteer and docent opportunities are also available depending on the museum’s needs. Please check with a staff member or follow the link to learn more.

Questions? Email us at svmvolunteer@gmail.com or call the Museum, 828-669-9566.