Metadata Intern

New York, NY, US

Requisition ID: 1234

Salary Range:$27.00 To $30.00 Hourly

Mellon Foundation

Metadata Intern

The Mellon Foundation (“Foundation”) is a not-for-profit, grant making organization that believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and we believe that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom to be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. The Foundation makes grants in four core program areas - Higher Learning, Arts and Culture, Public Knowledge, and Humanities in Place - and through its signature Presidential Initiatives. The Foundation seeks a metadata intern for the Library & Archives. 

Team/ Program Overview:

The Mellon Foundation’s Library & Archives manages collections and supports staff engagement with these resources through research, collections management, and outreach.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director, Library & Archives, and working with the entire Library & Archives team, the Metadata Intern will work on several projects to apply metadata to digital materials within multiple collections management systems. This role is for 10–15 hours per week, with a duration of 10 weeks starting October 2025.

Position Description: 

Responsibilities may include, but will not be limited to the following: 

1. Working with the Art Collection Manager to organize and synchronize descriptions of images in the digital asset management system and the collections management system.
2. Developing metadata guidelines for archival internal publications.
3. Collecting, analyzing and applying metadata to publications describing grant-funded work.
4. Creating and updating metadata (keywords, descriptions, classifications) to improve data accessibility and retrieval. 
5. Researching catalog records, finding arts collections, and other metadata. 
6. Working with systems that store and organize data, ensuring accuracy and consistency. 
7. Verifying file integrity, metadata, and specifications to guarantee data quality. 
8. Collaborating with other teams to optimize metadata and content.

Qualifications:

List of necessary skills/knowledge to be successful in the role 

1. Current library and information science graduate student
2. Familiarity with basic concepts in knowledge organization
3. Experience with a collections management system, digital assets, art, archives, or library collections, such as Orange Logic Cortex, Collector Systems, ArchivesSpace, or Koha
4. Interest in arts, humanities, and higher education
5. Related skills: excellent verbal and written communication, attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work independently

Mellon Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Mellon is committed to access and inclusion for our applicants. If you have accessibility requests to support your participation in the hiring process, please let us know at your earliest convenience. 

Mellon offers an excellent working environment, committed to providing compensation that is competitive and equitable within the philanthropic sector. The estimated salary range for this role is $27.00 - $30.00 per hour. The amount of pay offered will be determined by several factors, including but not limited to qualifications, unique skills, credentials, or experience that is expected to impact the candidate’s contribution to the role. We will also consider market data as well as the Foundation’s internal pay equity framework. 

Please note that Mellon maintains a hybrid work schedule, with three days per week in person at the Foundation’s Manhattan offices.  

Candidates should apply by submitting a cover letter describing fit for the position and a resume by September 12, 2025. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Apply here: https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=5cd5c82a-9265-495c-8abc-b4756df8f809&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=526499&source=CC2&lang=en_US

The Foundation will consider each complete application carefully but only contact those individuals it believes are most qualified for the position.