Archie Motley Archival Internship Program Summer 2026  

Job Title: Archie Motley Archival Intern  

About the BMRC and the Archie Motley Archival Internship Program         The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) is an unincorporated association of Chicago-based libraries, universities, museums, and other archival institutions. Hosted by the University of Chicago, the BMRC's mission is to make its members' materials documenting African American and other African diasporic culture, history, and politics--most with a specific focus on materials relating to Chicago--broadly accessible to the public and the research community. In addition, the BMRC promotes the creation of new scholarship, art, and history and seeks to extend the audience of those interested in preserving Chicago's African American cultural heritage through scholarly and public programming.           The Archie Motley Archival Internship Program is designed to provide students of color with work opportunities to gain practical experience, earn money while they are in school or recently out of school, and enhance their educational experience.  The program is designed to recruit students of color to address the underrepresentation of critically needed ethnic archivists within the archives.         The program is named in honor of Mr. Archibald "Archie" Motley III (1935-2002), who began his career with the Chicago Historical Society (now the Chicago History Museum) in 1955 and ultimately advanced to the position of curator of archives and manuscripts in 1974. Mr. Motley spearheaded the active collection development of Chicago’s urban, social, and cultural history—especially collections related to labor, African Americans, and community organizations and materials related to Chicago’s complex and tumultuous history. In 1998, he was named Chicago History Museum’s archivist emeritus.  A leader in the profession, Motley served as the first president of the Midwest Archives Conference and was an active member of the Society of American Archivists. He was lauded for his tireless collection development efforts to preserve Chicago’s urban, social, and cultural history –especially collections related to labor, African Americans, and community organizations. Those collections include the papers of Claude Barnett, founder of the Associated Negro Press; Earl Dickerson, an attorney for Supreme Life Insurance Co.; and documents of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Black Metropolis Research Consortium seeks dedicated interns to assist BMRC member institutions with archival projects. Work assigned may be conducted remotely, on-site, or in a hybrid.  Interns work under the direction and supervision of an archivist, particularly a collections team member at one of the BMRC member institutions. 

Intern assignments may include work involving one, two or more of the following tasks. 

• Arranging and describing records according to the supervisor rchivist’s work plan.
• Creating metadata for a collection of documents or photographs to increase access.
• Creating a database using software, e.g. Excel or other software
• Conducting interviews and transcribing them for an oral history project
• Learning about and assisting with an in-person and online exhibits
• Creating and updating social media as a part of a marketing campaign 
• Writing archival finding aids in an archival collection management database

BASIC Qualifications

Current undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at an accredited metro-Chicago area college or university are eligible to apply. 

Applications received from students currently enrolled in one of the BMRC member institutions are given priority. Recent graduates of these institutions are also eligible to apply. 

Alums of BMRC university members who are exploring a career transition will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

• Students must be in good standing at metro-area Chicago colleges and universities are eligible to apply.
• Students pursuing degrees in US history, archives, information science, public history, African American history, political science, sociology, and critical race/ethnic studies who have acquired strong research skills are especially encouraged to apply.

We seek interns that...

• will exercise discretion and confidence when handling restricted materials and records.
• have excellent computer skills and familiarity with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Docs.
• have demonstrated effective written and oral communication skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, l and interpersonal skills.
• An ability to work independently and collaboratively in a production-oriented, team environment.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Must be able to lift 40 pounds.  

PREFERRED Qualifications:

• Experience managing social media platforms for an organization, including, but not limited to, Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, and others.
• Experience working with web-based content management systems and a basic understanding of database management.
• Familiarity with Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) and other relevant archival description tools, authorities, and standards.  

Stipend/Award:         $3,500 Required Hours:   27 hours per week across eight weeks totaling 216 hours.

    Attending BMRC Educational Enrichment & Professional Development session as necessary  

BMRC - ARCHIE MOTLEY ARCHIVAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM SUMMER 2026  (Host Site Application) ELIGIBILITY: Applicants must be employed by one of the Black Metropolis Research Consortium's member institutions. The application process requires the submission of a detailed project description, including overall objectives, a work plan, and information about the intern's training, supervision, resources, and daily/weekly scheduling. If there is work that will require the intern t interact with other units regularly, please explain.  Other questions on the application seek information about the institution's and/or project supervisor's previous experience with interns. The institution's statement of diversity should also be provided. PROGRAM GOALS: The Archie Motley Archival Internship Program is designed to provide students of color with work opportunities to gain practical experience, earn money while they are in school or recently out of school, and enhance their educational experience.  The Archie Motley Archival Internship Program is designed in alignment with the values of the archivist for whom the program is named, Archibald "Archie" Motley, III.  We aim to recruit students of color and expose them to archival work to address the underrepresentation of critically needed perspectives within the archives profession.

WHO WAS ARCHIE MOTLEY? The program is named in honor of Mr. Archibald "Archie" Motley III (1935-2002), who began his career with the Chicago Historical Society (now the Chicago History Museum) in 1955 and ultimately advanced to the position of curator of archives and manuscripts in 1974.  Mr. Motley spearheaded active collection development of Chicago’s urban, social, and cultural history—especially collections related to labor, African Americans, and community organizations—but also many other materials related to Chicago’s complex and tumultuous history. In 1998, he was named Chicago History Museum’s archivist emeritus.  A leader in the profession, Motley served as the first president of the Midwest Archives Conference and was an active member of the Society of American Archivists. He was lauded for his tireless collection development efforts to preserve Chicago’s urban, social, and cultural history –especially collections related to labor, African Americans, and community organizations. Those collections include the papers of Claude Barnett, founder of the Associated Negro Press; Earl Dickerson, an attorney for Supreme Life Insurance Co.; and papers of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

AMAIP INTERN HOST SITE REQUIREMENTS Project proposals submitted by host site applicants  

• require at least 200 hours of work over 8 weeks during the summer to qualify.**
• provide the intern with an opportunity to be immersed in archival work using Black historical collections
• provide the intern with an opportunity to acquire a new skill set in archival work
• Members will be asked whether an AMAIP intern will work on-site, remotely, or on a hybrid schedule. 

AMAIP Host site supervisors will...  

•  make appropriate introductions to staff and/or other students, go over the work plan, and begin the intern's training in the first two days of the internship.
• manage the intern with regular check-in meetings by reviewing their work, responding to questions, and ensuring they are on track with project plans
• complete check-in midway through the internship, and discuss it with the intern, letting them know before submitting it to the BMRC staff.
• include a tour of the broader facility, including other units/departments
• include AMAIP interns in appropriate meetings and events
• approve the intern's weekly online timesheet
• work with the BMRC Program Manager regarding any additional enrichment activities or professional development sessions offered 
• complete an evaluation of the intern during the last week of the internship

Once the online Host Site application is complete, it will be reviewed by the AMAIP Jury Selection Committee.  

• PART ONE: Preliminary notifications will be sent out by mid-February to notify institutions if the jury has accepted their proposal. 
• PART TWO: 
• Once all applicants are interviewed and selected, the AMAIP JURY will match students with a host site. 
• Students will be notified of their match and asked to accept or decline the Archie Motley Internship in March. 
• Final notices will be shared with all host site applicants by April 3, 2026

Jointly administered by the Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) and Northwestern University's Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) and supported by Northwestern’s Racial Equity and Community Partnerships grants program, the Black Metropolis Graduate Assistantships will embed a cohort of Northwestern doctoral students at select BMRC member institutions during the 2026-2027 academic year.  Over the course of 6 or 9-month assistantships, graduate students will perform work of public and intellectual value that:  1) Documents, preserves, interprets, and/or promotes the use of Black historical collections and/or  2) Advances equity & access in institutional practices and policies and  3) Provides opportunities for them to gain skills, experiences, and networks helpful to them in pursuing career pathways beyond the academy. Eligibility:  BMRC Member Institutions in good standing Deadline:  Friday, February 20 at 5:00 pm CT  Should you have any questions regarding the proposal submission process or how to use Submittable, please email bmrc@uchicago.edu.