I know that many have already responded, however, since 90 % of
my job entails dealing with managing interns, I thought I'd chime in.
It is so important to have open and honest communication with students
from the beginning through the end of the internship.  State as much as
you can, in advance, about what you expect of the student and what
he/she may be doing.  A journal or weekly professional report is a great
communication tool and helps the student hone writing skills.  Our
interns at the Hall of Fame (we have about 30 a year, each for 10 weeks)
create an Intern Development Plan, a one page statement discussing what
the intern wants to learn and how it relates to the mission of the
organization.  This helps students realize that while photocopying or
doing inventories may not be glamorous, they are necessary to the
institution.  Managers sign off on the plan as do the students.  If the
internship is going off track, it's nice to be able to reflect on the
original agreement.  As I mentioned, interns follow up with a weekly one
page report that covers what the intern has learned and done for the
week.  This allows them to reflect on their professional growth and also
to reflect on the profession.  Sometimes, managers will propose a
professional question that the intern must respond about in the weekly
report.	
	What we've seen here is that graduate level students do want
specific projects that relate directly to a certain interest, while
undergrads are looking for more general work experience.
	We've had some really fulfilling internships at the HOF and I
speak personally, as I was an intern here first before I was hired
full-time.  
	And lastly, money really helps, particularly for full-time
internships, but the experience and reference is usually what the
student wants the most.

Melissa Marietta
National Baseball Hall of Fame
Manager of the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program 


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Micki Ryan
Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2005 3:41 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Supervising Interns


I am currently setting up a work schedule in our community history
museum archives with a first-time intern who has coursework in museum
studies under her belt. I am looking forward to this relationship, but
have some sensitive questions to ask of those with more experience. I
have trained interns before, but under a contract with a school who had
specific measurements for each intern. Through our one-on-one close
working relationship, this intern is getting the hands-on practicum
missing in her museum studies program. We are primarily working in
collections and archives management, but I am also training her to do
oral histories in the community in preparation for interpretive
exhibits.

This intern is eager and willing and will be a great asset, but I am
concerned about her insecurity in using English (her second language).
Way back when I was an intern, I found the technique of keeping an
intern project journal to be very helpful. I kept it as more of a diary
and entered every question into it, and my museum studies supervisor
would read through it once or twice a month and would give specific
feedback in those areas where I was unsure. It was nearly instant
feedback and took care of what might have otherwise developed into
problems, since my own intern experience did not include direct museum
supervision.

I will be meeting with this intern to define her project together on
October 4th, and would like some feedback from this discussion group:
would you advise me to set up a similar intern journal system with this
intern? She is amenable to and requests correction of her misuse of the
language, and I thought it might be a good way to catch misinformation,
misunderstandings and misspellings fairly instantly (I would ask her to
go over the week's work with me, and to point out things she felt
insecure about). The last thing I want to imply is that she is
incapable--she certainly is not. I think of the working relationship as
two-way communication, because one of her extremely valuable assets is
as an interpreter/translator for labels and outreach. I need her world
view as much as she needs to be able to write catalog notes and labels
correctly in her second language. I also want to help her develop
confidence in people skills, an area she already has well under control
but encounters some initial difficulty (with English speakers) as she
has hearing aids. We will be working together about eight hours a week,
and she will also work independently and with other volunteers. She will
be paid for this internship, so it behooves me to train her well and
quickly.

One other problem, or I think of it as a potential problem. The museum
manager thinks of the intern now as a Curator, which I am not
comfortable with because she lacks on-the-ground experience and even has
some academic gaps, and collections management is not her field of study
(cross-cultural museum education is). It's a bit awkward, I don't want
her to think you can take a course or two and get a paid job as a
Curator of Collections-- and everyone on this list knows that is pretty
much a fantasy. How on earth am I to handle this-- I want to increase
her confidence, not belittle her lack of experience or seem to conflict
with another authority.  I noticed that the museum manager already made
a permanent badge for her that says Curator, not Intern. Admittedly, I
am thinking of my full year as a 20-hour a week unpaid intern before I
even graduated, and I need to get that undercurrent of resentment out of
the picture too!

Thank you all, my wonderful colleagues, for any responses you can
provide.

Micki Ryan
Curator
Highline Historical Society
[log in to unmask]



-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of David Harvey
Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 7:40 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Supervising Interns


Katie,

This is indeed a good topic.

I have supervised interns for years in a variety of situations - from
museum conservation labs to a university-based regional lab, to private
practice.

I have had interns who are either in a BA or BS program in college, in a
Masters program in conservation or museum studies, and post-graduates as
well.

I think that it is important to offer all interns, no matter their
experience or knowledge, a balance of both intellectual and physical
tasks, along with a project all their own if there is sufficient time. I
also encouraged interns to publish short articles or to do posters on
specific aspects of what they encountered that most interested them
during their time in the lab.

There may also be requirements in their educational institutions as to
developing a portfolio of projects or writing a comprehensive report on
their internship.

In return, you can have a very positive and energized young person who
can contribute and move projects ahead.I also made a point of getting
the interns out of the lab and encountering the collections in the
multitude of ways that they are used in interpretation, exhibits, etc.
And it is so beneficial to have an intern at work in the lab when you
have visits by the board or public tours - as it is an entry into a
conversation about the profession and how to get into our great field.

Like anyone in any position, I think that interns need a diversity of
experiences, and projects have to be chosen with the best likelihood for
success,  so that positive experiences build on top on one another.

In conservation we are training the intellect, as well as the muscles,
eyes, and hands. So, even though much of this is about "doing" it is
equally important to cultivate and develop the ability to "see" and to
evolve the critical skills in intellectually aproaching objects and
treatments.

Even though some may not be in conservation or museum work anymore, I am
still in touch with many of my interns, some from now many years ago.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Conservator
Los Angeles, California, USA

On 9/27/05, Katie Wadell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi Museum-L-ers,
>
>  Would anyone be interested in discussing techniques and skills for 
> supervising interns, either on-line or off-line? How do you train your

> interns, plan projects for them, etc?  How do they fit into the life 
> of
your
> institution?  What do you expect from them, and does that line up with
what
> they expect from you?
>
>   I'm considering an article on managing interns and internships, and
would
> love to ask questions and collect real-life examples of effective
management
>  - and real-life problems or insecurities.  (I know I've been a lousy
intern
> supervisor at times!)  I recently got into a discussion on the  
> problems
of
> supervising and motivating interns,  and was encouraged to write on 
> the topic by someone else who wanted advice.  I'd also love to hear 
> from
former
> interns who benefited from good supervision- what did your supervisors

> do that was particularly effective?
>
>  Thanks so much,
>
>  Katie Wadell  
> =========================================================
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