Hi Dan,
As a part of our coursework at the Cooperstown Graduate Program three years
ago, I completed many internships. The most intensive and valuable was a
summer spent at the Pejepscot Historical Society in Maine. There were a
couple of elements that made it very useful, the most important being open
and enthusiastic staff members who took the time with me and were willing to
let me get involved in many different aspects and tolerated my constant nosy
questions.
I was and am interested in all aspects of museum work, so I got to sit in on
budget meetings and committee meetings, give tours, help researchers,
install exhibits. I did have one concrete project all my own: a survey of
the membership, which later became the basis for my thesis. Becase this
institution is small (3 fulltime staff, 2 part time, plus seasonal help) it
was easier to get a sense of the big picture of the institution. The thing
that it really helped me understand was the fact that most museum
professionals have to wear many different hats and juggle a wide array of
tasks. This really helped me keep perspective in my first (and current)
full time museum job.
The fact that it was in the middle of my two years of coursework was
helpful- I went in with a good understanding of museum principles, ethics
and more concrete things like artifact handling and architecture (which
helped me give architecture walking tours). Yet there was still a year's
worth of coursework, so my summer experience helped me hone in on the areas
of museum work I am particularly interested in.
The keys for a successful internship, I think, are similar to most volunteer
positions- the staff should have a commitment to orienting you and
supervising you. I know that paid internships can be hard to come by, but
on a graduate level I think they are important and I think they ensure more
of an institutional commitment (they are paying you for your time, so they
are going to provide you with what you need to be productive). A set work
space is a good thing, as is your own name tag and attendance at staff
meetings- things that make you feel like a part of the institution.
Just my two cents. I have had some opportunity to supervise interns in the
past two years, so I'd be interested to hear what others think about
criteria for a good internship.
Sounds like a great conference session.
Amy Cunningham
Director of Education
Vermont Historical Society
www.vermonthistory.org
I'm most
>interested in what you folks
>2 or 3 years into your professional careers did for
>internships and how
>these did or did not prepare you, but current
>interns and old hands are
>encouraged to respond as well.
>
> * What types of experiences do you wish now that
>you had in an
> internship setting back then?
> * What kinds of experiences did you have that
>were the most valuable
> in preparing you to enter the field?
> * Drawing on your own experiences (as interns
>and working
> professional), what factors do you think make
>successful internships?
> * The internship from hell, and what you might
>have done to rescue
> the situation. (There's no need to name the
>people or institutions
> you might have had bad experiences with.)
>
>Again, just a couple of paragraphs is all. You can
>respond off list to
>[log in to unmask] if you like.
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