Archives Internship, Heritage and Research Center, Yellowstone National
Park
Summer 2011

Overview:
Yellowstone National Park is the world’s first national park and was so
designated by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. It has also
been designated a World Heritage Site (1978) and International Biosphere
Reserve (1976), and is the only National Park Service site to be an
official affiliate of the National Archives and Records Administration.
The park’s archives, library and museum collections contain several million
items and constitute one of the largest collections in the National Park
Service. Yellowstone’s collections contain immeasurably valuable
information related to the history of not only Yellowstone, but also the
conservation movement in a world context. They include:
> 2,500 linear feet of historic records affiliated with the National
Archives that document management of the park from its inception in 1872,
through U.S. Army administration, to the present;
> 90,000 photographic prints and negatives that illustrate park history and
resources from the days of trappers and the earliest explorers of the
region;
> 20,000 rare books and other manuscripts, including most of the rarest
publications on Yellowstone still extant; and
> More than 300,000 natural science specimens and cultural objects ranging
from fossils, historic vehicles, and Native American artifacts, to original
paintings by artist Thomas Moran and photographs by William Henry Jackson.

Yellowstone National Park’s new Heritage and Research Center (HRC), a
32,000 square foot, state-of-the-art collections storage and research
facility, was completed in summer 2004 and the park’s entire collection
(with the exception of the historic vehicle collection) was moved to the
building at that time. This new facility provides a 500% increase in
archives and library office, processing and storage space, and a 700%
increase in museum space. There is also 1,600 square feet of rotating
exhibit space, as well as the park’s archeology lab and herbarium storage.

Internship:
The internship will be for 10 – 12 weeks (roughly May 22 – August 13)
during Summer 2011 with the park’s archives, library and museum collection
program within the Branch of Cultural Resources, at the HRC. The intern
will be introduced to the archives and curatorial field and mentored by the
park archivist. Duties will include assisting with the Archives Initiative
project, a service-wide program to reduce archival backlogs: arranging,
preserving, and describing archival collections in the park’s collections
management database, ICMS+ (Integrated Collection Management System). The
intern will also spend time at the reference desk, providing reference
assistance and security oversight of collections in use, as well as
contributing to outreach programs such as facility tours and temporary
exhibits. The intern will be an integral part of the curatorial staff for
the summer and will be involved in all aspects of the program, including
performing collections management functions at museums in the park’s
interior, meeting with other branch staff (historian, archivist,
librarians, anthropologist, historic architect, and archeologist), and will
have the opportunity to meet with staff from the Branch of Natural
Resources (bison and wolf biologists, fisheries staff, botanist) in order
to pursue his/her own interests and to obtain a clear sense of Yellowstone
National Park’s (YNP) operations and mission. For additional information,
please contact Anne L. Foster, YNP’s archivist, at 307-344-2563 or
[log in to unmask] For additional information on Yellowstone’s
collections and the HRC, check out our website:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/historyculture/collections.htm

Housing and Stipend:
The intern will be required to work a 40-hour week and will be paid a GS-05
salary (about $15.00/hour). Shared park housing is assigned for this
position, the rent for which will be deducted from the intern's bi-weekly
pay (park housing roughly costs $175 - $250 a month).

Supervision:
The intern will be supervised and evaluated by the park archivist. He/she
will function as an entry-level employee and will be expected to conduct
himself/herself with professional dress and demeanor and adhere to a
40-hour work week as determined by the archivist.

Security:
Since 9/11, the federal government has required background investigations
on all employees using computers, including interns and volunteers. The
successful applicant must be willing to complete a background investigation
form and get finger-printed by a law enforcement agency.

To Apply:
This internship is only open to U.S. citizens. Applicants must also be
current students who are able to provide proof of enrollment (if the
successful candidate) in an accredited college or university for the Fall
2011 semester in order to be eligible due to the hiring authority used
(STEP – Student Temporary Employment Program).

By February 25, 2011, either send via email or mail (mailed applications
must be postmarked by Feb. 25) a letter of interest and resume with list of
three references to:
Anne L. Foster, CA
Archivist
Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center
P. O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
(307) 344-2563
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