Please accept my apologies if you have seen this message before -- it is a
hybrid of what has already been distributed to the RCAAM list. It occurred
to me that there might be some interested students/recent
graduates/soon-to-be graduates/non-RC members/etc. who are only on Museum-L
and who may benefit from this program. Feel free to distribute where you
think it's appropriate.
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Not to be judgemental, prejudice, you know anything like that but this is a
program for Registrars/Collections Managers/Preparators/Such-like People
and not for the entire AAM membership or the entire musuem community. It
is organized through the Registrars Committee of the AAM. I don't think
I'm quite ready for the registrars, let alone the ENTIRE museum community!
:)
FIRST MESSAGE (sorta):
Dear all:
There is now a mentoring program in place for the Registrars Committee. As
this is the first year in a few that this has been done on any wide scale,
and the first year that I have done it, we're going to just have to see how
it goes and wing it a bit. In general, people will be paired for a year,
with some sort of evaluation done mid-way and at the end of that year. (I
haven't exactly figured out how to do that yet but am working on it --
anyone with ideas is welcome to share them with me.)
The plan is to coordinate the program nationally and actually run it
through the regional RCs. This doesn't mean that mentors/mentees can't be
paired with people outside of their region...it's merely a mechanism to
foster face to face communication for those who can't afford to communicate
long-distance (either telephone or face to face) or for early career
professionals who are committed to living in the general vicinity of where
they are now.
I am currently looking for registrars from regional registrars committees
who would like to get involved nationally and/or regionally in their
professional association. These people would administer the regional RC
mentoring programs (coordinated nationally by, well, me). Contact me if
you would like more information. I have already managed to recruit someone
for the southeast, mid-Atlantic and western regions (I think...I know SERA
is a go for sure). If anyone from other regions is interested, please let
me know. Info is at the bottom of this message. (FYI -- for all of you
early-career professionals wondering how to network...I am one of you, I'm
not even a registrar at this point but NETWORKING DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER
THAN THIS!!!!!)
I am also looking for mentees and mentors. If you are interested in an
application, please contact me. Applications will need to be received by
me by June 1. I'm HOPING to begin pairing people in late summer/early
fall. Again, I've never done this and it's a really big task so please
hold me solidly to no dates save the June 1 deadline (but I do have a
sense of humor).
Preparators/art-handlers/etc. or such type people who would like to
participate should let me know and I'll get an application to them and/or
direct them to Brent Powell, the PACIN chair -- I guess that's his title
now. And if you know of someone who would be interested who is not on
line, please feel free to pass the information along to that person and
have him/her get in touch with me.
I would really REALLY like this mentoring program to be one of the
successful ones and I hope those of you with expert advice to share (not
excluding those in the for-profit arena) will contact me in as great a
number as those who NEED your expert advice and guidance. I know we're
all spread thin these days but many people just need a professional
"buddy".
I am working on doing some sort of information brochure so if you would
like more details on the program, goals/organization/etc, let me know.
I'll answer whatever questions you have informally until I get the
paperwork done.
Thank you,
Jennifer
[log in to unmask]
Chair, RCAAM mentoring task force
snail mail: Jennifer Schansberg (For those of you
NAGPRA Consultant who have
National Park Service applications
Archeology and Ethnography Program already, please
1849 C St. NW note the change
Washington, DC 20240 of address)
phone: 202-343-1010
fax: 202-343-5260
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SECOND MESSAGE (sorta):
Please be aware that this is NOT AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. Unless you
and your mentor/mentee set it up as an internship type thing, this
program is, in general, merely a "buddy system". It is designed to
put people in contact with each other, to provide an outlet for
discussion without fear or prejudice or any of that, as a learning
experience for all involved. The only financial responsibilities are
what you decide they should be....want to meet face to face? That's
up to you. Long distance phone bills? Well, that too would be your
responsibility. Want to have lunch together? You have to figure out
who is buying. Want to arrange an internship with your mentor/mentee
(not a bad idea for those who might still be students or freshly out
of school)? Then that's your business and you need to decide if
there's a financial committment there that both of you want to take.
It's all about what you get out of it and about HOW you get the most
out of it.
There will be some sort of evaluation during and at the end of the
year the mentors/mentees are paired up. The year will end
approximately the same time as the AAM annual meeting every year. I
realize that may not be ideal for the mentees (and mentors) who may
not be able to afford attendance but the logic behind it is that there
are SO MANY PEOPLE at that meeting that it would be ideal for mentors
to hook up with their mentees periodically during the course of events
and introduce them to as many people as possible -- and vice versa.
(Everybody could stand to have their horizons broadened in some way, I
think.)
Havin' a happy day,
Jennifer
[log in to unmask]
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