Volunteers and Internship Opportunities
Volunteers
The National Archives at San Francisco depends on its volunteers, who commit their own time in service to the agency and the American people. All volunteers complete a Volunteer Application Form and when accepted, undergo a thorough background check.
How to Apply
Mail or email a completed Volunteer Application Formto:
National Archives at San Francisco
Attn: Volunteer Coordinator
1000 Commodore Drive
San Bruno, CA 94066
Phone: 650-238-3501
Email: sanbruno.archives@nara.gov
Virtual Volunteer
If you would like to volunteer at the National Archives, but don't have a location in your local area, then the Citizen Archivist program might be for you! Through this program you can take on missions such as document transcription and tagging in order to improve digital access to historical records at the National Archives. For more information visit the Citizen Archivist page.
Internships
All of the internships available at the National Archives at San Francisco are unpaid. The National Archives accepts for-credit internships for undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in the social sciences, library science and archives, and associated fields. Please check with your academic institution to determine their internship requirements. Internships may be available in the following program areas. For more information on unpaid internships, contact the Archives Director.
- Archival Arrangement, Preservation, and Description: Introductory level archival processing and preservation work on the historical records of Federal agencies.
- Reference: Assists reference staff in responding to public inquiries, including conducting research and composing replies; preparing box lists for collections; and assisting with special projects.
- Digital Projects: Supports digitization initiatives to increase access to collections via the web and new media. Possible assignments include scanning and preparing descriptive, technical and other metadata; assisting with design and user experience research, web development; and new media special projects such as a collaborating with Wikipedia and supporting the National Archives social media initiatives.