Digital Archives Intern
About AIA The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is the leading professional association for licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners in the United States, representing more than 100,000 members across 270+ state and local components. AIA advocates at every level of government on issues central to the profession and the public: housing affordability, building codes and resilience, professional licensure, climate action, and procurement reform. Position Summary: The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Archives preserves the organization’s records from 1857 to the present. Its Digital Archive uses Preservica to manage and preserve born-digital and digitized materials. This internship supports efforts to integrate records management into everyday workflows by helping staff identify and deposit permanent records at project close-out using Microsoft Teams. For more background on the AIA Digital Archive, see “Building Curation into Records Creation: Developing a Series-based Digital Repository Program at the American Institute of Architects,” presented at the 2015 SAA Research Forum. Responsibilities: Together with the AIA archivist, the digital archive intern will:
- Assist with refining procedures to make it easier for staff to deposit records into the AIA Digital Archive through Microsoft Teams
- Revise or create additional training resources for staff
- Develop procedures for bulk upload into Preservica
- Upload both current records from staff and digitized materials from the Archives
- Develop procedures for review and intake at scale
- Plan for conversion to Preserve365
Qualifications: Graduate-level courses about digital archives in an MLS or MLIS program; or multiple courses toward the Society of American Archivists’ Digital Archives Specialist Certificate. An understanding of basic principles of archives and of digital preservation is required. Must be detail-oriented and accurate. An interest in architecture and the built environment is welcome but not required. Learning Opportunities:
- Capturing digital archival records at the point of creation
- Structuring a digital records management program for an organization
- Training and encouraging an organization’s staff to adopt archiving procedures (change management)
- Using the Preservica platform with advanced ingest and custom metadata features
- Managing content in a hybrid digital and paper collection
Internship Details This is an 8-week, full-time remote internship which will run from June 15, 2026 - August 7, 2026. Eligible applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Application Instructions: Submit a resume and cover letter by May 13, 2026. Your cover letter should address why you want this internship. Applicants selected for an interview will be contacted with next steps.