First State Natl Historical Park 5 Stories Exhibit Digitization VISTA Summer Associate -AmeriCorps

 

 

Position Title:  5 Stories Exhibit Digitization Project – VISTA Summer Associate

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placement

 

Site Location:

First State National Historical Park

10 Market Street, New Castle, DE 19720

 

Terms of Service:


* Start Date: 6/29/2026


* End Date: 9/6/2026


* AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 300 hours (Minimum-Time)

 

Purpose:


* This project supports poverty alleviation by increasing equitable access to educational and cultural resources for underserved and multilingual communities across central and northern Delaware.

By digitizing interpretive exhibits, the Summer VISTA helps expand access to visitors who may not be able to visit in person.


* The project builds capacity for the park by creating virtual interpretive materials that expand the park’s ability to reach a broader audience without increasing staff workload, aligning with strategies that strengthen long term outreach and program sustainability.


* The Summer VISTA will support the John Dickinson Plantation, a unit of First State NHP, by transforming the physical Five Stories Exhibit into an accessible online experience.

Working from the existing exhibit in the Visitors Center, the Summer Associate will review, assess, and outline the steps needed to digitize the full installation for inclusion on the John Dickinson Plantation Delaware Division of Historical Affairs (HCA) website.

This includes identifying and collecting all exhibit text, designs, and images and determine how to adapt content for digital accessibility and user engagement.

The Summer Associate will collaborate closely with staff to incorporate updated research and develop refreshed visual aids or graphics that enhance the online exhibit.  Throughout the project, the Summer Associate will receive guidance from the HCA Exhibit Art Specialist.

The role requires frequent communication via email, phone, and in-person coordination, as well as consistent use of a computer.

The Summer Associate may also assist staff with research using on-site resources, maintain a professional schedule, and meet deadlines.  The project’s primary outcome is a preliminary plan and conceptual design for the online exhibit.

 

Description of Duties:

The Summer Associate will focus on capacity-building activities that produce internal planning resources, documentation tools, and community engagement materials.

Duties may include compiling labor market research summaries, developing workforce resource inventories, creating community asset maps, organizing environmental data sets, drafting partnership coordination frameworks, designing planning templates and resource guides, and assisting with public-facing informational workshops, outreach campaigns, or site observations.

Activities are designed to strengthen host organizations’ capacity, guide long-term workforce and environmental program development, provide tangible connections between planning...