The Interior Museum Program coordinates strategy, policy, and professional development across the ten bureaus and offices that comprise the Department of the Interior’s museum program. From policy writing and professional development to support and exhibits, we ensure that the diverse collections held by the Department of the Interior are preserved, valued, and enjoyed by everyone.

What we do

In a word, "Stewardship." We strive to advance the stewardship of our museum collections, making sure our museum collections are available and accessible for today’s visitors and researchers and all of tomorrow’s generations to come.

The Department of the Interior has ten bureaus and offices looking after more than 75 million objects and 91,000 linear feet of archives – one of the largest and most important museum collections in the world. The Interior Museum Program works collaboratively with the bureaus and offices to maintain accountability over and enhance access to our museum collections. The Interior Museum Program is both the central policy office and a resource for technical assistance, guidance, and professional development in support of the museum workforce.

Did you know? Every state and territory are represented in the 10 bureau and office museum collections.

Why do we have museum collections 

It is both an honor and an enormous responsibility to steward museum collections in trust for future generations. Archives and archaeology, scientific and ethnographic, art and history – museum collections are the legacy and heritage of the land and its peoples. The Department of the Interior’s museum collections are all of us!

Our museum collections are inextricably connected to the lands we manage. They are of the land and of the people who lived there, as well as tangible links to the communities who continue to inhabit the land. Some collections generated through work on public lands are mandated by law. Some are gifts generously donated to local units of the Department of the Interior. Some are transferred from other government agencies. All are part of the rich history of the land we manage and help us understand more about ourselves. 

Discover your DOI museum collections! 

Did you know? The Department of the Interior is the nation’s largest steward of public lands, managing roughly 420 million acres.

Working with us

The Interior Museum Program is a small office of just four employees, but across the Department of the Interior 400+ people work in a variety of museum positions. There are also many other positions that have museum responsibilities such as park rangers, interpreters, educators, geologists, paleontologists and archaeologists. From entry level to career professionals and specialists, a DOI museum career offers diverse collections experiences, a wide range of working environments, and support for professional development and growth.

Explore museum jobs and many other opportunities at My DOI Career. You will also find a wealth of resources in the Help Center at USAJOBS. The Department of the Interior lists all open positions on USAJOBS.

Find Your Career Path : Your career is what you make of it. You don't have to follow the beaten path.