Archives Intern

Company Overview

Based in Stratford, Ontario, the Stratford Festival is one of the world’s foremost repertory theatre companies. It operates year-round, presenting a season of about a dozen plays each year between the months of April and November, a rich stream of digital content and hundreds of events designed to deepen understanding of the plays. For every person a theatregoer sees on our stages, we have seven people working behind the scenes, some of the world’s most dedicated and experienced arts workers.

The Stratford Festival is committed to ongoing work to support equity, inclusion, anti-racism and anti-oppression in all areas of our work. These areas include play selection, casting, marketing and public relations efforts, education programs, production, design, recruitment of staff and volunteers, and the composition of the Board of Directors.

Why You Should Apply:

• Creative work environment     
• Employee Assistance Program to encourage work-life balance and strong mental health
• Complimentary & discounted ticket offers and events
• Employee discounts on merchandise and event space
• Being a part of the magic of live theatre!

Job Description

The Stratford Festival Archives is seeking an Archives Intern to assist with the day-to-day responsibilities of the Archives Department. The incumbent will be responsible for the processing, cataloguing and digitization of graphic materials, and will be expected to assist with reference services, pursue copyright and union clearances for publication requests and undertake tasks associated with exhibitions, public outreach activities and environmental monitoring.

As this position is supported by the Young Canada Works program, applicants must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for this role:

• be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada;
• be legally entitled to work in Canada (have a valid social insurance number);
• be between 16 and 30 years of age inclusively at the start of employment (June 16, 2025)
• be a graduate from college or university with a qualification in Library and Information Science, Archival Studies or a closely related field;
• be registered in the Young Canada Works online candidate inventory

Responsibilities:

• Process, arrange and catalogue graphic materials
• Create RAD-compliant records using Collections Management Software
• Digitize negatives, photographs, promotional imagery and other formats for preservation and access purposes
• Supervise the Reading Room
• Determine needs of reference requests and assist in providing access to appropriate archival materials
• Assist with copyright clearances and union permissions for publication and presentation requests
• Assist with exhibition installations and de-installations
• Evaluate and document conservation concerns; perform basic preservation duties
• Collaborate on archival outreach activities as part of the Archives Team
• Create content for the Stratford Festival’s social media platforms using relevant archival material, customizing content to specific themes or events as requested
• Train and supervise volunteers; assign volunteer tasks based on project needs
• Monitor environmental conditions within the facility, making recommendations for improvements
• Adhere to the Stratford Festival Health & Safety Commitment and Procedures and ensure that safe work practices and policies are supported and enforced within reporting structure.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

• Post-secondary qualification at the Diploma, Bachelor’s or Masters level in Library and Information Science, Archival Studies or a closely related field, with coursework demonstrating an ability to understand and undertake archival work
• Demonstrated coursework or experience creating catalogue records with the Rules for Archival Description (RAD) or another nationally-recognized archival descriptive standard
• Experience conducting research in an archival setting
• Experience conducting academic research online
• Strong organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to complete work independently and as part of a small team
• Proficiency using Windows-based operating systems on PCs
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Suite Office Software (including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• Demonstrated ability to learn and operate new technological equipment (external scanners, light boxes, photocopiers, printers, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability to learn and operate new software programs
• Experience retrieving information via library catalogues or archival databases
• Proficiency in English, with the ability to correspond professionally (by phone and in person) and write properly and coherently (archival descriptions, emails, interdepartmental memos, etc.)
• Experience operating or creating records with Collections Management Software considered an asset
• Experience operating Adobe Suite programs (Photoshop, Bridge, Acrobat) considered an asset
• Experience with the theatre industry or a background in the performing arts considered an asset

This is a contract position from June 16, 2025 to February 13, 2026 (35 Weeks). 

Posting closes Sunday, April 27th at 5:00 pm.