USGA Golf Museum Special Collections Intern

The USGA is a mission-based golf organization whose purpose is to unify the golf community through handicapping and grassroots programs; to showcase the game’s best talent through the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and 13 other national championships and our museum; to provide unbiased global governance with The R&A through the playing, equipment and Amateur Status rules; and to advance issues important to golf’s future, with a focus on driving sustainability, accessibility and inclusion. As a nonprofit association, our work and our team are driven to act for the good of the game. The USGA’s headquarters are located in Liberty Corner, NJ, with a recently opened campus in Pinehurst, NC. For more, visit usga.org. 

About this role:

The USGA Golf Museum and Library seeks a recent graduate or currently enrolled student in Library Science or Archival Studies for a paid internship in the nation’s oldest sports museum. Founded in 1936, the USGA Golf Museum is the world’s leading institution for the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of golf history. Since 1936, the Museum has connected golfers, sports fans and scholars with remarkable artifacts, documents, images and stories that chronicle golf’s rich history.

The USGA Special Collections contain over 500,000 catalogued items including championship and personal archives, institutional records, rare books, club histories, yardage guides, comic books, fiction, poetry, historic and contemporary periodicals, instruction, biographies, newspapers, sheet music, comic books, cookbooks, programs, tour guides, directories, reference material, green section material, golf course care and maintenance, historic dealer and manufacturer catalogs for clothing, gear, and equipment, and more documenting the history of the game and all of its aspects in more than 10 languages and from around the world. Original material dates from 1566 with the Scottish Acts of Parliament to the present day. Items are used for both exhibits and research to inform content and create scholarship on the history and future of the game.

The USGA Golf Museum Special Collections Intern will assist with numerous projects supporting the Special Collections. S/he will gain valuable experience in several areas of library operations including hands-on work with historic materials, describing and cataloging material in a digital repository, digitization of archival material, research, and other tasks within the USGA Special Collections. This internship is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience archiving, preserving and making available to the public materials on the history of golf.

What you’ll do:

Collections Processing and Cataloging

• Support all aspects of archival collections processing including arrangement, description and cataloging materials in the Museum’s collections management system, TMS Collections
• Develop familiarity with the TMS Record Style Guide to standardize existing TMS records for Library and Special Collections records
• Support the Library and Special Collections digitization program by digitizing archival material and ensuring proper metadata cataloging in TMS Collections and TMS Media Studio
• Additional collections processing projects as directed

Collections Management

• Ensure proper housing of archival materials
• Support movement and reshelving of materials across all collections storage locations
• Additional collections management projects as directed

Research and Engagement

• Assist with research requests and onsite research visits
• Support the preparation and organization of assets for Museum exhibitions and projects to promote the collections 
• Additional research projects as directed  

Where you’ll be:

This role will be based at our Liberty Corner, NJ campus, working approximately 20 hours per week, ideally with 3 days per week on-site, between Monday - Friday.  An academic semester is requested though opportunity exists for a 12-month internship.

What you bring:

• Currently enrolled or recent graduate of a graduate level program in Library Science
• Basic knowledge of digital asset management systems
• Basic knowledge of metadata, library standards and resources, and a desire to assist in preservation and access of library material
• Ability to lift and move library materials up to 25 pounds
• Basic knowledge of best practices in handling sensitive and historic materials
• Passion and enthusiasm for history and the care of historic materials
• Appreciation and interest in sports heritage and/or the game of golf

Compensation: The rate of pay is $20 per hour, plus overtime in accordance with applicable New Jersey law. 

The USGA is an equal opportunity employer. Our organization believes we are stronger by embracing our diverse backgrounds and perspectives, promoting equity so all teammates can excel and grow in their careers, and fostering experiences to drive inclusion in our workplace and game. Golf is a game for everyone, and you are always welcome.