Individual Placement - Museum Curation & GIS

Student Conservation Association•Hadley, MA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Northeast Region (Region 5) is seeking a person with an undergraduate degree to assist with compliance efforts in support of 36 CFR § 79, Curation of Federally Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections. The position would work closely with Region 5 Cultural Resource (CR) and Visitor Service professionals and would sit in the USFWS Region 5 office. The member will regularly correspond and collaborate on work with Region 5 CR staff and occasionally with USFWS Headquarters CR staff. The member will support this effort by improving data quality, documentation, and discoverability of collections and associated records while gaining hands-on experience with federal curation standards and workflows. A central component of the project includes populating and refining a cultural resources GIS database, linking object records with archaeological site data, and contributing to spatial datasets that enhance heritage resource management. The member will also work within the Museum Collection Management System (MCMS) to create and update object records, digitize legacy documentation, and organize digital assets according to established metadata and records-management standards. Through mentorship and collaboration with Cultural Resources, Museum Property, and GIS staff, the member will gain professional skills, exposure to interdisciplinary workflows, and insight into federal cultural resource stewardship.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in history, anthropology, geographic information systems, or a related field with experience working with federal collections or datasets.
Coursework or experience in Archaeology, Anthropology, Museum Studies, Cultural Resource Management, or related fields.
Foundational GIS skills (ArcGIS Pro/Online; field data collection tools like Field Maps or Collector).
Strong attention to detail; ability to follow data standards, naming conventions, and chain-of-custody procedures.
Clear written communication and documentation practices; basic photo/scan handling.
Participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger.
Participants must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States.

Nice To Haves

Ability to prioritize work products based on due dates
Self-motivated and ability to work with minimal supervision
Willingness and comfort to communicate via email, video conference calls, and phone calls with supervisor, as needed
Skilled in reviewing and quality controlling their own work products prior to submitting them to supervisor for review
Comfortable accepting edits to work products in order to create a more refined deliverable
Open to learning new things, asking questions, and developing themselves professionally

Responsibilities

In support of geospatial integration, the member will help link object records to archaeological site data, support updates to relevant GIS layers, contribute to crosswalks between museum and spatial datasets, and archaeological survey datasets.
The member will digitize and systematically organize legacy documentation—including photos, slides, and correspondence—while upholding required records management practices.
The member will create and improve MCMS object records by preparing accurate descriptions, provenance details, condition notes, and location information while applying consistent controlled vocabularies and metadata standards.
The member will create, attach, and organize digital assets such as photographs and scans, ensuring proper version control and secure storage.
All work involving culturally sensitive materials will be conducted under supervision and in full accordance with federal requirements and agency policy, including protocols related to NAGPRA documentation and confidentiality.
Assistance with CR-related training for the USFWS.
The member may present or support presentations on curation-related briefs to USFWS leadership.
The member may work with other Region 5 CR staff members on Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act if they possess the capacity and necessary skills.