Hi all, As one who hires I would like to put my two cents in. I think Kathie has a great idea of working with a small museum volunteering to write a grant that will help pay for you to do a job. Proven grant writing is always a plus later on. I also want to put in a plug for the small museums in general and for museums in out of the way places. I really feel that one of the reasons I got my current job 15 yrs ago was I was willing to go to North Dakota (this was well before they had money) at that time there were only two qualified candidates for the position, I was one of them :) Some people thought I was nuts for wanting to go to ND but I have a good paying job to this day because of it. I had classmates who were willing to work in small operations, move to another state and many times be the only paid employee and they got jobs quickly. Other classmates only wanted to work in New York, Chicago, LA etc or work for large institutions and it took them years to find jobs. So stay flexible, be willing to go places, work in any size institution and yes you might have to clean toilets, put up an exhibit, accession five collections and lead three tours (all in one day) but you will gain valuable experience and in a couple of years if you don't just love it there, you can start looking for a job in a larger museum somewhere else.
Jenny Yearous
Curator of Collections Management
State Historical Society of North Dakota
P.S. Sorry to say, We don't have any job openings right now.
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kathie Gow
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 10:24 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Employment Search Frustrations for the recent graduates
Hi Ashley and Jillian. There is another avenue to explore while waiting for a full-time museum job, especially if you're already connected with a museum where you'd like to work -- and if you have some other work, at least part-time. Find out what granting organizations might be available in your state, or in your area of interest, and then ask the museum if they would sponsor you working on a specific project for them if you got a grant for it.
I have been working on a volunteer basis for a small historical society museum for about three years, eventually as curator (still volunteer), and needed to find a way to make some money while working there so I could keep doing it. I saw an ad (perhaps here on MUSEUM-L) for a Collections Manager for the Hanover, Mass., Historical Society, to do all the sorts of things I was already doing for our Historical Society museum. They had money to fund the person for 650 hours, plus money for archival supplies, all paid from a Mass. Community Preservation grant. So I got our Historical Society to sponsor me, and I wrote a grant very much like the Hanover position description for OUR Community Preservation Committee, including cataloging new acquisitions, re-cataloging old acquisitions, adding images for each record (photographing or scanning), rehousing artifacts in archival enclosures, recommending items for deaccession, overseeing volunteers, etc... It is largely a Collection inventory project, but your project could be anything you're passionate about -- or the museum really needs. I'm still finishing up Year 1 of the grant, and I've been approved for a second year.
It only works out to a part-time job, but it allows me to get paid for doing what the museum needs and what I love to do.
If our local area is any indication, there are lots of small historical society museums across the country with volunteer staffs who have notable collections and no money or in-house expertise to work on them. This takes some time to set up, but a year or two of part-time grant work just might turn into a job. As for writing the grant, a lot of granting organizations include past recipients' projects and sample applications on their websites, which is very helpful.
Good luck!
--Kathie
Kathie Gow
Oral History Producer
http://www.wordspicturesstories.com
Curator, Hatfield Historical Museum
http://hatfieldhistory.weebly.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jillian Shoblock
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 4:25 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Employment Search Frustrations for the recent graduates
I have been applying since December 2011 when I graduated with my MA in Museum Studies an have only had 2 interviews. Do I get frustrated a lot, yes but I haven't given up hope yet. I do still have an active social life and work in management in retail. Is that what I want? Definitely not. I intern at a museum that I love and would love to be able to work at. But can't afford to hire me so right now I am getting a little of what I love to do.
What I have found is trying to stay positive even though I have applied to well over 100 positions all dealing with collections management and most with history, since that is one of my undergraduate degrees, is what keeps me going. Try to enjoy your life outside the museum an continue to visit museums. If you can't find a job in I e and have to work elsewhere then volunteer so you still get your fill. I know it sucks, trust me all my friends have full time jobs and are "living the life" but I have to believe that my time will come. Also my one friend keeps telling me to look at higher Ed jobs like academic advising if you have a masters. Just a thought.
Good luck and keep your head up!
Jillian
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 20, 2013, at 3:58 PM, "Jentzsch, Tracy" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Ashley, for you and others searching for job leads, I would recommend
> a free resource we offer through the University of Delaware's Museum
> Studies Program. MuseWeekly is our weekly electronic news that
> provides job posts, internships, conferences, calls for papers,
> announcements and news related to all things "museum". We never rent
> or sell our list, and there is always a plethora of good leads. You
> can sign up for this free resource by going to our website,
> www.udel.edu/museumstudies and filing in the three question form on the index page. Good luck to you.
>
>
>
> Tracy H. Jentzsch
> Staff Assistant, Museum Studies Program University of Delaware
> 302.831.1251
> Www.udel.edu/museumstudies
>
>
>
>
>
> On 2/20/13 3:49 PM, "Ashley Watson" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>> I graduated with masters in the museum studies at Syracuse
>> University last May and have not found a job yet despite aggressively
>> applying for various openings within my experience and skill range. I
>> have completed an internship at National Museum of Natural History in
>> the exhibits department and is currently a zooarchaeological/collections intern at the
>> Museum Support Center till this May. Any recent graduates here that
>> have the same frustrating experience? Those internships certainly help
>> keep me sane professionally and personally but I certainly need to
>> begin LIVING. I want to add one thing that I was more than qualified
>> for one position at National Museum of Natural History but didn't
>> break through the annoying human resources "wall". My colleague who
>> was qualified to the maximum also applied for the same position got the same result.
>>
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