The Anne Arundel County Office of Planning and Zoning (OPZ) seeks a Historic Resources Management Intern to support the Cultural Resources section. The Cultural Resources section protects Anne Arundel County’s historic sites, buildings, archaeological sites and landscapes. This work is integral to heritage preservation and safeguarding the County’s historic and cultural resources.
The Historic Resources Management Intern will support the OPZ Cultural Resources section by updating and modernizing documentation of the County Inventory of Historic Places. These responsibilities require critical thinking and administrative oversight to address deficiencies that include a lack of diversity and under-representation of marginalized groups and historic communities, particularly in statements of historic resource significance. The selected candidate will be supervised by the Planning Administrator for the Cultural Resources section.
This position is primarily remote with requirements to access extensive local and State archival records. The duties may also require in-person research in the County's paper-based archives and fieldwork to document existing conditions for a limited number of historic properties.
Responsibilities
The selected candidate will work with the Cultural Resources Section to conduct a research project designed to prioritize historic documentation for Anne Arundel County's historic resources. This assessment will require a macro-to-micro approach, including an initial review of assigned inventory forms with the final deliverable focused on the highest priority for updating.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate capacity to:
- Review 200 Inventory forms which the County has identified as lacking or having inadequate "Statements of Significance."
- Select 10% for priority research. The ideal candidate will assess these priorities by historic importance in order to gain a holistic understanding of the County's historically marginalized or underrepresented populations.
- Select three to five of the most compelling forms from that review, and then undertake the research and documentation needed to fully update the forms to meet the State Standards and Guidelines for Architectural and Historical Investigations in Maryland.
- Produce a deliverable that includes completion of at least three but no more than five MIHP forms, in a form and substance acceptable to the MHT (SHPO).
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the internship, the candidate will have a deeper understanding of the role historic preservation plays in representing and preserving the important contributions of a community’s diverse heritage and histories. The student will also gain experience with producing documentation for historic resources according to the standards and guidelines required by the state and federal governments.
Minimum Qualifications
- Enrollment in Master's degree or higher in historic preservation, planning, cultural resources management, architectural history, archaeology or a related field;
- Maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above;
- Familiarity with conducting archival research, using census data, land records and other applicable primary and secondary sources;
- Familiarity with the National Register and how to apply its criteria for assessing historic significance;
- Familiarity with the history and development patterns of Anne Arundel County and the State of Maryland;
- Has access to computer equipment.
The operations for this internship are primarily remote with occasional access to the County's paper archives, which are located in OPZ’s Annapolis headquarters.
This internship will be open until filled, with an option for the spring term of 2023 for 120 hours (over the course of an academic semester) or in the summer 2023 for a minimum of 8 weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks. The hours will be confirmed with the Cultural Resources Planning Administrator upon hire.
Application Procedure
Please send an application and/or resume, and cover letter, and transcript (unofficial accepted) to recruiter@aacounty.org