South Side Home Movie Project Collections Intern

This internship is part of the University’s Jeff Metcalf Internship Program. Click here to learn more about the program, its benefits, and the UChicago community of supporters. By applying to this internship you agree to follow the Student Recruiting Guidelines.

• Fellowship Stipend Range $4,000 - $5,000
• Internship Time Commitment: approximately 32 hours over 9weeks
• InPerson/Hybrid: Interns are expected to work during organization’s business hours of operations
• This position is not benefits eligible
• Please make sure that if selected for an interview, you communicate to your prospective host organization/employer where you will be physically located during the internship as your location may affect your (or your host organization/employer’s) ability to pursue this opportunity.
• If you are an international student, please make sure to visit the OIA website to familiarize yourself with your work authorization eligibility and requirements as soon as possible. If you’d like to make an appointment with your international adviser, please visit this page.

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UChicago Arts | Arts + Public Life | Southside Home Movie Project 

 Collections Intern 

About the South Side Home Movie Project 

The South Side Home Movie Project (SSHMP) is a five-part initiative to collect, preserve, digitize, exhibit, and research amateur home movies made by residents of Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods. SSHMP seeks to increase understanding of the many histories and cultures comprising Chicago’s South Side, and of amateur filmmaking practices, by asking owners of home movies to share their footage and describe it from their personal perspectives. The archive includes small-gauge films (8mm, Super8mm, 16mm) covering a period from the 1920s to the 1980s. 

Founded in 2005 by Professor Jacqueline Stewart, and now a signature program of Arts + Public Life, SSHMP presents a uniquely successful model for encouraging local residents to recognize the value of their personal archives, to preserve original film prints in optimal conditions, and to digitize home movies for public access and scholarly research. To learn more, please visit our website and explore our digital archive. 

South Side Home Movie Project Collections Intern (Chicago, IL – In-person/hybrid)

Job Description and Duties 

The South Side Home Movie Project (SSHMP) is seeking an undergraduate student to serve as a Collection Intern for the Spring quarter of the 2024-2025 academic year. Collections interns will catalogue and describe new films in the SSHMP archive, research and develop themed collection resources for the website, and provide support for our ongoing 20th anniversary programming.

The priority of the internship will be to support SSHMP’s effort to make unprocessed collections accessible online through digitization and cataloguing. Working with Project Archivist Camille Townson, the SSHMP Collections Intern will catalog newly added films and collections by creating metadata; generate descriptive information by identifying and researching subjects and places seen in films, and properly catalog all of this information in our online database following established guidelines. When not assigned new films, the Collections Intern will review the online catalog and identify opportunities for further research or detailed description. 

A secondary goal of the internship is for the Collections Intern to choose a collection or content theme across collections that they would like to explore and research. Possible products might be content for a webpage, a finding aid for this material or other digital resources useful for educational purposes. 

Duties would include:

• Regularly meets with Project Archivist to participate in collective assessment of new materials and to create an effective plan for processing and cataloguing the materials
• Creates metadata records and annotations for films using cataloguing guidelines and researching people, places or events in film footage
• Tasks associated with maintenance and improvement of digital archive including, reviewing captions, fixing annotations, determining subjects to be identified
• Conducts an intern research project of their own design about a collection or themed content with tangible goals and outputs that can be hosted on our website and supports the mission of the South Side Home Movie Project
• Editing and compiling trailer videos for new collections
• Possible assistance with 20th anniversary programming and other duties as assigned

Required Skills 

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Strong research and analytical skills

Ability to work independently and attention to detail

Demonstrated interest in film, cultural studies, archives, or public history 

Skills desired (but not required)

Familiarity with filmmaking principles and practice 

Familiarity with celluloid film

Familiarity with databases, cataloguing, or project management tools 

Familiarity with with digital media assets, file formats, and editing softwares 

Work Requirements & Compensation 

20-25 hours a week with flexible scheduling. Ability to meet in-person at least once a week, remote work to be assigned as needed. 

Required Materials 

Please submit a cover letter and resumé for consideration via UChicago platform.