Summary

The Art Institute of Chicago’s Research Center is excited to offer a McMullan Arts Leadership intern position to work with their library team.

A hub for scholarship and training, the Art Institute Research Center brings together the museum’s Ryerson and Burnham Library, the Art Institute of Chicago Archives, and the department of Academic Engagement and Research to care for, modernize, and share the Art Institute of Chicago’s broad array of research resources.

The historic Ryerson and Burnham Library is one of the nation’s preeminent art research libraries. The collection holds more than 670,000 print titles, 100,000 auction catalogs, 200 current serial subscriptions, and extensive digital resources. The Library resources the museum’s eleven curatorial departments, supporting myriad research fields spanning the globe and all time periods. In addition to upholding the museum’s core activities, the Library makes its collections accessible to the scholarly community, faculty and students, artists and architects, and inquisitive public visitors from around the world.

The intern will research various primary sources to document the sources of items in our library collection. Being able to attribute rare books to specific donors and being able to list items donated by significant donors will be of great value to our Provenance, Philanthropy, and Curatorial Departments.

The intern will join a museum-wide intern cohort and have access to a range of programs to support their development in addition to their placement in the libraries. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience, and connections with an intern alumni network will be established.

Duration of Position: 32 weeks / September 2026 (start date anytime during the week of September 21–25) through April 2027 (end date anytime during the week of April 26–April 30).

Key Details

Compensation: $17.50/hour

Term: 32 weeks (September 2026 – April 2027)

Schedule: PT (max. 14 hours/week)

Format: The internship will be fully onsite. Due to onsite necessity, applicants based or attending school in the Chicagoland area during the internship timeframe will be prioritized. Internet access and appropriate technology will be necessary to complete this internship; technological accommodations will be provided by the Art Institute of Chicago based on necessity.

Deadline: 07/27/2026 (11:59 PM CDT)

Eligibility

Qualifications

• Undergraduate or graduate student; recent graduates (within one year of graduation) will also be considered;
• Applicants must be based in the Chicagoland area and/or attending school in the Chicagoland area over the course of the internship term;
• Interest in, current enrollment, or recently graduated from a Library or Information Science Masters program;
• Meticulously detail-oriented;
• Agility in data entry and willingness to work with library databases and spreadsheets;
• Ability to push carts of books, handle books, bend, and occasionally lift 20 pounds.

About

The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities. We are a place of gathering and learning, committed to fostering an inclusive understanding of human creativity.

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Tagged as: Library & Archives