Digital Collections Operations Intern (17 Weeks)

Application Deadline: 13 November 2026

Department: Digital

Employment Type: Internship

Location: Library Services Center

Reporting To: Shahed Dowlatshahi

Compensation: $25.00 / hour

Overview

For more than 125 years, The New York Public Library (NYPL) has been an essential provider of books, information, ideas, and education. With collections numbering more than 56 million items and serving more than 16 million patrons in person each year and millions more online, NYPL’s reach is both local and global. Our mission is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities.

At our world-class research centers–including the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the Library for the Performing Arts, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture–expert staff facilitate the work of our diverse communities, offering inspiring reading rooms, programs, exhibitions, fellowships, and a dynamic range of research services. Their work is supported by dedicated staff on the Collections and Research Services teams. We are proud to be the most public and widely used research library in the world.

The New York Public Library seeks two motivated emerging professionals for a 17-week paid internship with the Digital Collections Operations (DCO) department during the Spring term (January – May). DCO manages the end-to-end digital collections lifecycle for NYPL’s research collections, from digitization and reformatting through metadata, rights, digital asset management, preservation, and access. This internship offers a unique opportunity to understand how the specialized functions that preserve and provide access to digital collections connect across a major research library. Rotating across core DCO teams for 2 to 3 weeks at a time, interns will gain multi-disciplinary exposure to modern digital library workflows, specialized tools, physical collection handling, and digital asset management across multiple NYPL locations. Interns will also gain exposure to operational leadership and coordination, learning how work across these specialized functions is prioritized, connected, and managed across the end-to-end digital collections lifecycle.

Responsibilities

The intern will gain exposure to and hands-on experience with the following areas of work across week or multi-week-long rotations within various DCO teams:

• Digitization & Reformatting: Gain exposure to DCO’s different approaches to digitization and reformatting across its two production labs and vendor services. Participate in project-cycle deep dives, practice material handling, camera setups, and lighting concepts using test materials. Assist with physical inspection, preparation, and reformatting of audio, video, and film formats, and learn vendor digitization workflows and coordination.
• Digital Preservation & Born-Digital Services: Assist with forensic imaging and reformatting of physical born-digital media (floppy disks, optical media, mass storage drives); assist with preservation packages into Preservica; assist with quality control and troubleshooting on legacy digital collection assets.
• Metadata Services Unit (MSU): Learn how MSU reuses existing archival description and catalog records to create item-level metadata; gain hands-on practice with metadata remediation through a mini-project in a specific collection area (e.g., historical maps or performing arts photos); assist with control by researching URIs (Library of Congress, VIAF, Wikidata) and identifying name variants across library systems.
• Permissions: Learn the public order request lifecycle by monitoring permissions intake and routing orders; assist with collection divisions to confirm physical item availability before digitization; gain exposure to administrative setups in ClickUp, preliminary financial invoicing in Freshbooks, and public documentation audits.
• Rights Clearance: Participate in rights reviews for digitized items from NYPL Collections; assist with appropriate copyright statutes or other intellectual property designation in NYPL systems, such as the Metadata Management System; participate in rights holder research.
• Digital Asset Management & Repository Systems (DAMS): Shadow Digital Asset Management staff to observe repository operations, asset ingest workflows, and system go-live protocols; gain high-level exposure to DAMS access permissions and digital preservation infrastructure.
• Project Management & Operations Coordination & Leadership: Gain exposure to how DCO leadership coordinates priorities, capacity, dependencies, and decision-making across operational areas. Support operational documentation and process mapping; assist with project tracking, follow-up coordination, and leadership meeting materials; support change management and system rollout logistics by synthesizing user feedback and drafting adoption resources.

Required Education, Experience & Skills

Required Education & Certifications

Currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from a Master’s program in Library and Information Science (MLIS), Archival Studies, Museum Studies, Digital Humanities, or a related field.

Required Experience

Demonstrated interest in digital preservation, audiovisual archiving, commercial/studio photography, metadata, or library technology operations. Basic familiarity with physical handling of archival, library, or museum collections. Familiarity with project management tools.

Required Skills

Strong organizational skills and keen attention to detail. Effective written and verbal communication skills with an ability to work collaboratively across diverse, specialized teams. Curiosity and demonstrated interest in digital collections, preservation, archives, libraries, museums, or related fields. Ability to adapt to different teams, projects, and work environments throughout a rotational internship. Eagerness to learn new tools, technologies, professional practices, and ways of working. Ability to follow established workflows and procedures, document work accurately, and ask questions or escalate issues when appropriate.

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities

N/A

Core Values

All team members are expected and encouraged to embody the NYPL Core Values:

• Be Helpful to patrons and colleagues
• Be Resourceful in solving problems
• Be Curious in all aspects of your work
• Be Welcoming and Inclusive

Work Environment

Work is performed across multiple NYPL facilities, primarily splitting time between the Library Services Center (Long Island City, NY), the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center (New York, NY), and the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (New York, NY). Laboratory, studio, and standard office environments. Possible exposure to dust, mold, and historic preservation chemicals.

Physical Duties

Lifting and/or moving items up to 30 lbs. required (moving collection boxes, media carriers, and studio equipment). Handling fragile, historical physical materials with appropriate care and dexterity. May require travel within NYC between library locations.

Pre-Placement Physical Required?

No

Union/Non Union

Non-Union

FLSA Status

Non-Exempt

Schedule

Up to 14 hours per week. Duration: 17 Weeks / Spring Term (January – May).

This job description represents the types and levels of responsibilities that will be required of the position and shall not be construed as a declaration of all of the specific duties and responsibilities for the role. Job duties may change if Library priorities change. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description as needed.